Reevaluating a non-conventional procedure to microencapsulate beneficial lactobacilli: assessments on yield and bacterial viability under simulated technological and physiological conditions.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining viability of beneficial microorganisms applied to foods still constitutes an industrial challenge. Many microencapsulation methodologies have been studied to protect probiotic microorganisms and ensure their resistance from manufacturing through to consumption. However, in many Latin-American countries such as Argentina there are still no marketed food products containing microencapsulated beneficial bacteria. The objectives of this work were: (i) to obtain microcapsules containing Lactobacillus fermentum L23 and L. rhamnosus L60 in a milk protein matrix; and (ii) to evaluate the viability of microencapsulated lactobacilli exposed to long-term refrigerated storage, mid-high temperatures and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. RESULTS: The method of emulsification/rennet-catalyzed gelation of milk proteins used in this study led to high encapsulation yields for both strains (98.2-99%). Microencapsulated lactobacilli remained viable for 120 days at 4 °C, while free lactobacilli gradually lost their viability under the same conditions. Microencapsulation increased the resistance of lactobacilli to mid-high temperatures, since they showed survival rates of 95-99.3% at 50 °C, and of 72.5-74.4% at 65 °C. Under simulated gastric conditions, the microencapsulated lactobacilli counts were higher than 8.5 log CFU mL-1 and showed survival rates between 96.61% and 97.74%. Furthermore, in the presence of bile (0.5-2% w/v) the survival of microencapsulated strains was higher than 96%. CONCLUSION: The microencapsulation process together with the matrix of milk proteins used in this study protected beneficial Lactobacillus strains against these first simulated technological and physiological conditions. These findings suggest that this microencapsulation method could contribute to secure optimal amounts of living lactobacilli cells able to reach the intestine. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Lactic acid bacteria with promising AFB1 binding properties as an alternative strategy to mitigate contamination on brewers' grains.

Adsorption of molecules to the cell walls of microorganisms plays an important role in helping to prevent animal exposure to the toxic and carcinogenic effects of aflatoxins (AFs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of LAB strains, isolated from brewers' grains, to adsorb aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). All LAB were able to reduce the bioavailability of AFB1 from phosphate buffered-saline (PBS). In addition, the strains retained their effectiveness even after heat treatment. The AFB1-LAB complex stability was first evaluated through sequential washing steps. These assays demonstrated that a low percentage of AFB1 was released after consecutive washes. After subjecting the complex to different pH and bile salt treatments, the percentage of bound AF decreased, as compared to the control, but remained at high levels. Finally, to simulate the formation of the AFB1-LAB complex at conditions similar to those of the gastrointestinal tract, LAB and AFB1 were homogenized in PBS adjusted at acidic conditions or under different bile salt concentrations. In general, LAB strains showed the highest AFB1 adsorption at the lowest pH (2) and bile salt concentration (0.05%). In conclusion, the studied strains represent promising biocontrol agents for preventing and/or ameliorating the AFB1 contamination of feed.

Biological control of AFB1-producing Aspergillus section Flavi strains isolated from brewer's grains, alternative feed intended for swine production in Argentina.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from brewer's grains on Aspergillus section Flavi growth and aflatoxin B1 production. The Aspergillus strains tested were inhibited by all the LAB strains assayed. The isolates Lactobacillus brevis B20, P. pentosaceus B86, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis B87, L. brevis B131, and Lactobacillus sp. B144 completely suppressed the fungal growth and reduced aflatoxin B1 production. In conclusion, LAB isolated from brewer's grains show a high inhibitory activity on fungal growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Further studies must be conducted to evaluate the success of in vitro assays under food environment conditions and to elucidate the antifungal mechanism of these strains.

Antimicrobial activity, inhibition of urogenital pathogens, and synergistic interactions between lactobacillus strains.

Lactobacillus fermentum strain L23 and L. rhamnosus strain L60 were selected as an alternative treatment to prevent or treat urogenital infections based on their probiotic properties and production of bacteriocins. The objectives of the present work were to study the inhibitory activities of these two bacteriocin-producing strains, and to analyze the interactions between pairs of bacteriocins that inhibit urogenital pathogens. Antimicrobial activity tests of L23 and L60 were performed by a diffusion method with 207 bacterial strains, isolated from female patients presenting a urogenital infection. Inhibitory substances interaction tests were carried out by using a streak-diffusion method on agar plates. One hundred percent of the clinical isolates showed sensitivity to the antimicrobial substances produced by L23 and L60. The selected lactobacilli produced larger inhibition halos when compared to several antibiotics commonly used for treating these infections. Synergistic interactions and indifferent interactions were recorded in 68.6% and 31.4% of the cases, respectively. No antagonistic interactions were observed. In conclusion, the bacteriocin-producing strains L23 and L60 are potential candidates for probiotic prophylaxis and treatment of urogenital disorders in women.