RESUMO
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a type of microorganism widely used in functional foods, has gained notable research attention in recent years. Certain strains possess the proteolytic ability to release potentially antihypertensive peptides from dairy proteins, which prompted us to explore the LAB strains from an understudied and unique ingredient, Daqu. We screened for 67 strains of LAB strains from traditional Daqu using the calcium dissolution ring method. Sixteen strains exhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition (ACE-I) activity exceeding 50% were chosen for 16S rDNA sequencing and safety assessment. It is noteworthy that Enterococcus faecium CP640 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CP658 exhibited significant ACE-I activity, which was the result of strain fermentation in reconstituted skim milk. These 2 strains did not exhibit hemolytic activity or antibiotic resistance. They also did not produce biogenic amines and showed high survival rates in the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, Enterococcus faecium CP640 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CP658 fermented milk exhibited a notable reduction in blood pressure levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with negative controls in SHR. Importantly, no adverse effect was observed in normal Wistar-Kyoto rats. Through the analysis of physiological, serum, and urine-related indicators, it was observed that Enterococcus faecium CP640 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CP658 have the potential to promote weight gain in SHR, alleviate excessive heart rate, improve renal function indicators, and effectively regulate blood sugar and uric acid levels in SHR. These 2 strains showed optimal properties in lowering blood pressure and have the potential to be used in functional dairy products in the future.