Fruit juices as a carrier of probiotics to modulate gut phenolics and microbiota

Design of probiotic delivery systems and their therapeutic effects on targeted tissues

The microbiota at different sites in the body is closely related to disease. The intake of probiotics is an effective strategy to alleviate diseases and be adjuvant in their treatment. However, probiotics may suffer from harsh environments and colonization resistance, making it difficult to maintain a sufficient number of live probiotics to reach the target sites and exert their original probiotic effects. Encapsulation of probiotics is an effective strategy. Therefore, probiotic delivery systems, as effective methods, have been continuously developed and innovated to ensure that probiotics are effectively delivered to the targeted site. In this review, initially, the design of probiotic delivery systems is reviewed from four aspects: probiotic characteristics, processing technologies, cell-derived wall materials, and interactions between wall materials. Subsequently, the review focuses on the effects of probiotic delivery systems that target four main microbial colonization sites: the oral cavity, skin, intestine, and vagina, as well as disease sites such as tumors. Finally, this review also discusses the safety concerns of probiotic delivery systems in the treatment of disease and the challenges and limitations of implementing this method in clinical studies. It is necessary to conduct more clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of different probiotic delivery systems in the treatment of diseases.

Physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of healthy juices containing aloe vera gel and probiotics and their antidiabetic effects on albino rats

The consumption of fruit and vegetable juices is widely recognized as a healthy choice across all age groups. Orange, carrot, and aloe vera are renowned for their functional properties and health benefits. In this study, we investigated the potential incorporation of aloe vera gel into blended orange and carrot juices. We also evaluated the resulting mixed probiotic juices (chemical, microbiological, and sensory aspects) during a 14-day storage period at refrigerator temperature. The chemical composition and phytochemical structure of aloe vera gel were examined, followed by an assessment of the biological effects of these healthy juices on diabetic albino rats. The results indicated improvements in total soluble solids, reducing sugars, and total sugars with increasing storage duration. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that incorporating aloe vera into the natural mixed juices enhanced their phytochemical quality. The treatment supplemented with aloe vera gel gave the highest total content of phenolic and flavonoid substances, which were 310 mg of GAE/100 g and 175 mg of quercetin/100 g, respectively. Probiotic strains (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis Bb12, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299V, and Lactobacillus acidophilus L10) exhibited good viable cell counts in orange and mixed orange and carrot probiotics juices with viable counts of 7.42-8.07 log CFU/mL. Regarding sensory attributes, the study found that increasing the ratio of orange juice improved the taste while increasing the ratio of carrot juice enhanced the color in juice mixtures. Incorporation of aloe vera into mixed natural juices also enhanced the reduction of blood glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, creatinine, ALT, AST, and urea levels while increasing total protein and HDL levels in diabetic rats. Based on these findings, oranges, carrots, and aloe vera offer the potential to produce new, flavorful, nutritious, and appealing juices. Moreover, this study determined that a functional juice with favorable sensory properties can be created by blending 75% orange juice, 20% carrot juice, and 5% aloe vera gel. Additionally, aloe vera demonstrated greater efficacy as an antidiabetic agent in rats. Further research is suggested to explore the potential advantages of aloe vera gel and probiotic juices in mitigating diabetes and other metabolic syndromes.

Enhancing Phytochemical Compounds, Functional Properties, and Volatile Flavor Profiles of Pomelo (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) Juices from Different Cultivars through Fermentation with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei

The current study aimed to explore the effects of fermenting five different pomelo cultivars using Lacticaseibacillus paracasei on various physicochemical, phytochemical, and organoleptic attributes. Fermentation led to an increase in viable lactic acid bacteria count (8.80-9.28 log cfu/mL), organic acids, total polyphenols, and flavonoids, resulting in improved antioxidant activity, bile acid binding, cholesterol micellization disruption, and inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity. Additionally, some cultivars displayed higher levels of naringin, naringenin, and hesperetin after fermentation. The levels of volatile compounds were elevated after fermentation. The bitterness and overall acceptability scores were improved in the fermented samples of the Kao Numpueng cultivar. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the Tubtim Siam cultivar demonstrated the highest functionality and health-related benefits among all fermented pomelos. Overall, the study suggests that pomelo exhibits potential as a valuable resource for creating a dairy-free probiotic drink enriched with bioactive phytochemical compounds and beneficial functional attributes.

Viability and In Vitro Gastrointestinal Transit Tolerance of Multispecies Probiotic Combinations Incorporated into Orange Juice and Drinking Water

Little is known about how combining probiotics affects the storage survival and functional performance of individual probiotics when incorporated into non-dairy drinks. Viability of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LG), Limosilactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730 (LR), Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 (Bb), and Propionibacterium jensenii 702 (PJ), either alone or in multi-species combinations included in orange juice (OJ), were assessed during storage in refrigerated conditions and compared with bottled water (BW). The tolerance of probiotics included in refrigerated OJ to simulated gastrointestinal conditions was also examined. LG and LR viabilities were significantly higher in OJ than in BW (p ≤ 0.001), while the reverse was evident for PJ. Bb maintained high viability in both drinks. LG-PJ in both drinks and Bb-PJ in BW resulted in greater viabilities among the paired combinations compared to their respective monocultures when incorporated separately (p ≤ 0.001). The viability of LG in the LG-Bb-PJ combination improved significantly in BW compared with LG alone (p ≤ 0.001). OJ did not alter bacterial tolerance to simulated gastric juice but diminished tolerance to simulated intestinal juice (SIJ). In all combinations, tolerance of LG and LR to SIJ was improved, whereas tolerance of PJ declined significantly compared with respective monocultures (p ≤ 0.001). In conclusion, probiotic storage stability and gastrointestinal transit tolerance were species-dependent and affected by carrier type and combinations. These effects should be considered when formulating probiotic products.