Recent update on lactic acid bacteria producing riboflavin and folates: application for food fortification and treatment of intestinal inflammation.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used as starter cultures for the fermentation of a large variety of food, can improve the safety, shelf life, nutritional value and overall quality of the fermented products. In this regard, the selection of strains delivering health-promoting compounds is now the main objective of many researchers. Although most LAB are auxotrophic for several vitamins, it is known that certain strains have the capability to synthesize B-group vitamins. This is an important property since humans cannot synthesize most vitamins, and these could be obtained by consuming LAB fermented foods. This review discusses the use of LAB as an alternative to fortification by the chemical synthesis to increase riboflavin and folate concentrations in food. Moreover, it provides an overview of the recent applications of vitamin-producing LAB with anti-inflammatory/antioxidant activities against gastrointestinal tract inflammation. This review shows the potential uses of riboflavin and folates producing LAB for the biofortification of food, as therapeutics against intestinal pathologies and to complement anti-inflammatory/anti-neoplastic treatments.

Application of vitamin-producing lactic acid bacteria to treat intestinal inflammatory diseases.

Recent studies have shown that inflammatory diseases are becoming more frequent throughout the world. The causes of these disorders are multifactorial and include genetic, immunological, and environmental factors, and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. The use of beneficial microorganisms has shown to be useful in the prevention and treatment of disorders such as colitis, mucositis, and even colon cancer by their immune-stimulating properties. It has also been shown that certain vitamins, especially riboflavin and folate derivatives, have proven to be helpful in the treatment of these diseases. The application of vitamin-producing lactic acid bacteria, especially strains that produce folate and riboflavin together with immune-stimulating strains, could be used as adjunct treatments in patients suffering from a wide range of inflammatory diseases since they could improve treatment efficiency and prevent undesirable side effects in addition to their nutrition values. In this review, the most up to date information on the current knowledge and uses of vitamin-producing lactic acid bacteria is discussed in order to stimulate further studies in this field.

Lactic Acid Bacteria from Andean Grain Amaranth: A Source of Vitamins and Functional Value Enzymes.

Amaranth is a rediscovered pseudocereal with high nutritional properties. Lactic acid fermentation can increase the functional and nutritional value of foods. The aims of this study were to isolate and evaluate the functionality of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from amaranth. LAB strains (n = 29) isolated from amaranth sourdough and grains included Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum (n = 8), L. rhamnosus (n = 6), Enterococcus (E.) mundtii (n = 4), E. hermanniensis (n = 3), E. durans (n = 1), Enterococcus sp. (n = 1), Leuconostoc (Lc.) mesenteroides (n = 3), and Lc. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides (n = 3). Only 21% of the strains showed the ability to synthesize capsular exopolysaccharides or display ropiness and only 8 strains showed amylolytic activity. L. plantarum CRL 2106 and E. durans CRL 2122 showed the highest phytase activity, which is of importance for mineral bioavailability. L. plantarum CRL 2106 and CRL 2107 and Lc. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides CRL 2131 synthesized the highest concentrations of B2 and B9 vitamin (140-250 ng/mL). This study demonstrates the potential of LAB to improve the nutritional and functional values of pseudocereal-derived foods.

Beneficial effects on host energy metabolism of short-chain fatty acids and vitamins produced by commensal and probiotic bacteria.

The aim of this review is to summarize the effect in host energy metabolism of the production of B group vitamins and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) by commensal, food-grade and probiotic bacteria, which are also actors of the mammalian nutrition. The mechanisms of how these microbial end products, produced by these bacterial strains, act on energy metabolism will be discussed. We will show that these vitamins and SCFA producing bacteria could be used as tools to recover energy intakes by either optimizing ATP production from foods or by the fermentation of certain fibers in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Original data are also presented in this work where SCFA (acetate, butyrate and propionate) and B group vitamins (riboflavin, folate and thiamine) production was determined for selected probiotic bacteria.

Biosynthesis of vitamins and cofactors in bacterium-harbouring trypanosomatids depends on the symbiotic association as revealed by genomic analyses.

Some non-pathogenic trypanosomatids maintain a mutualistic relationship with a betaproteobacterium of the Alcaligenaceae family. Intensive nutritional exchanges have been reported between the two partners, indicating that these protozoa are excellent biological models to study metabolic co-evolution. We previously sequenced and herein investigate the entire genomes of five trypanosomatids which harbor a symbiotic bacterium (SHTs for Symbiont-Haboring Trypanosomatids) and the respective bacteria (TPEs for Trypanosomatid Proteobacterial Endosymbiont), as well as two trypanosomatids without symbionts (RTs for Regular Trypanosomatids), for the presence of genes of the classical pathways for vitamin biosynthesis. Our data show that genes for the biosynthetic pathways of thiamine, biotin, and nicotinic acid are absent from all trypanosomatid genomes. This is in agreement with the absolute growth requirement for these vitamins in all protozoa of the family. Also absent from the genomes of RTs are the genes for the synthesis of pantothenic acid, folic acid, riboflavin, and vitamin B6. This is also in agreement with the available data showing that RTs are auxotrophic for these essential vitamins. On the other hand, SHTs are autotrophic for such vitamins. Indeed, all the genes of the corresponding biosynthetic pathways were identified, most of them in the symbiont genomes, while a few genes, mostly of eukaryotic origin, were found in the host genomes. The only exceptions to the latter are: the gene coding for the enzyme ketopantoate reductase (EC:1.1.1.169) which is related instead to the Firmicutes bacteria; and two other genes, one involved in the salvage pathway of pantothenic acid and the other in the synthesis of ubiquinone, that are related to Gammaproteobacteria. Their presence in trypanosomatids may result from lateral gene transfer. Taken together, our results reinforce the idea that the low nutritional requirement of SHTs is associated with the presence of the symbiotic bacterium, which contains most genes for vitamin production.

Bacteria as vitamin suppliers to their host: a gut microbiota perspective.

Food-related lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as well as human gut commensals such as bifidobacteria can de novo synthesize and supply vitamins. This is important since humans lack the biosynthetic capacity for most vitamins and these must thus be provided exogenously. Although vitamins are present in a variety of foods, deficiencies still occur, mainly due to malnutrition as a result of insufficient food intake and because of poor eating habits. Fermented milks with high levels of B-group vitamins (such as folate and riboflavin) can be produced by LAB-promoted and possibly bifidobacteria-promoted biosynthesis. Moreover, certain strains of LAB produce the complex vitamin cobalamin (or vitamin B12). In this review, fermented foods with elevated levels of B-group vitamins produced by LAB used as starter cultures will be covered. In addition, genetic abilities for vitamin biosynthesis by selected human gut commensals will be discussed.

Vitamin D biology: from the discovery to its significance in chronic kidney disease.

Vitamin D was discovered and had its chemical structure described in the early years of the last century. Although classified as a nutrient because it was found in small quantities in butter, it soon became clear that exposure of skin to sunlight, supplies most of the vitamin D necessary for good health in human beings. Vitamin D (D3 or cholecalciferol) synthesis in the skin is extremely rapid and remarkably robust despite the complexity of the mechanisms involved. However, a number of factors related to latitude location, season, and skin characteristics can interfere with the photoproduction of vitamin D. The 2 forms of vitamin D (D3 or D2-ergocalciferol) are biologically inactive and require activation in the liver and kidney. The product of the first hydroxylation of vitamin D in the liver, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), is the marker of vitamin D status. Hypovitaminosis D (serum 25(OH)D, <30 ng/mL) is highly prevalent in the general population, and patients with chronic kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for the development of hypovitaminosis D. It is believed that, besides the traditional factors, protein losses, gastrointestinal malabsorption, and defective skin synthesis of vitamin D might contribute to the elevated number of patients with suboptimal level of vitamin D status.

Production of glucose-fructose oxidoreductase and ethanol by Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 29191 in medium containing corn steep liquor as a source of vitamins.

Different concentrations of corn steep liquor (CSL) were tested in the cultivation of Zymomonas mobilis. Cell growth, ethanol production, and the formation of glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) and glucono-delta-lactonase (GL), the enzymes responsible for the bio-production of gluconic acid and sorbitol, were examined. The cell yields using 25 g CSL l(-1) and 40 g CSL l(-1) (Y(X,S) approximately 0.031 g g(-1)) were close to that obtained with 5 g yeast extract (YE) l(-1). With 5 g CSL l(-1) and 15 g CSL l(-1), the nutritional limitation led to smaller Y(X/S). Using 100 g CSL l(-1) produced an inhibitory effect on cell growth. Similar ethanol yields (92-95%) were calculated for each concentration of CSL and also for YE medium. The highest specific GFOR/GL activities (13.2-13.5 U g(-1) dry cell) were reached with 25 g CSL l(-1) and 40 g CSL l(-1), values comparable to that achieved with 5 g YE l(-1). The results confirm that CSL is an effective and cheap supplement for Z. mobilis medium, increasing the economic potential of a large-scale bio-production of sorbitol and gluconic acid by untreated Z. mobilis cells. The economic feasibility of the process is discussed.

Química biológica / Biologic chemistry

Actualiza los conocimientos, además muestra los adelantos en: biosíntesis de oligosacáridos, factores de crecimiento, receptores del sistema nervioso, coagulación de la sangre, membranas y bases moleculares de la inmunidad

Química biológica / Biologic chemistry

Actualiza los conocimientos, además muestra los adelantos en: biosíntesis de oligosacáridos, factores de crecimiento, receptores del sistema nervioso, coagulación de la sangre, membranas y bases moleculares de la inmunidad