Optimization of composite cryoprotectant for freeze-drying Bifidobacterium bifidum BB01 by response surface methodology

Optimization of cryoprotectant formulation to enhance the viability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NBC99 isolated from human origin

Freeze drying has been well applied in the preparation of high-efficiency viability probiotic powders. However, the process is generally accompanied by probiotic viability deficiency, which poses a problem for further application. In this study, various kinds of cryoprotectant formulations (skim milk, maltodextrin, and sucrose) were tested to enhance the survival of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NBC99 after freezing and freeze-drying. An I-optimal experimental design-oriented optimization model was presented to optimize the cryoprotective medium, and the highest cell survival was observed with 25% skim milk, 8.71% maltodextrin, and 1.13% sucrose cryoprotectant as the optimum condition. L. plantarum NBC99 has been a good potential strain for the manufacture of an industrial probiotic, and this research has aimed to investigate the long-term protective effects of optimum cryoprotectant formulations on the viability of bacteria. The results showed the potential value of freeze-dried probiotic L. plantarum NBC99 culture for commercialization.

Effect of freeze-dried protectants on the survival rate and fermentation performance of fermented milk's directed vat set starters

A directed vat set (DVS) starter was proposed to improve the drawbacks of liquid starters in fermented production and enhance the survival rates of B. animalis subsp. lactis BZ11, S. thermophilus Q-1, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LB12. The protective agent formula was optimized using the response surface method (RSM), with the survival rate as the benchmark. The best combination of cryoprotectants was determined to be BZ11: 10 % skimmed milk powder, 3 % sodium glutamate, and 15 % trehalose; LB12: 10 % skim milk powder, 5 % glutamate sodium, and 10 % trehalose; Q-1: 10 % skimmed milk powder, 3 % sodium glutamate, and 10 % trehalose. The survival rate of BZ11 significantly increased to 92.87 ± 1.25 %. The DVS fermented milk did not differ significantly from the control group regarding cholesterol removal, live cell counts and pH (p > 0.05). All DVS can be stored for at least 2500 d at -20 °C-this DVS starter for fermented milk benefits from its large-scale and automated commercial production.

Process and formulation parameters influencing the survival of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during spray drying and tableting

Probiotic microorganisms provide health benefits to the patient when administered in a viable form and in sufficient doses. To ensure this, dry dosage forms are preferred, with tablets in particular being favored due to several advantages. However, the microorganisms must first be dried as gently as possible. Here, the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae was dried by spray drying. Various additives were tested for their ability to improve yeast cell survival during drying. In addition, the influence of various process parameters such as inlet temperature, outlet temperature, spray rate, spray pressure and nozzle diameter was investigated. It was possible to dry the yeast cells in such a way that a substantial proportion of living microorganisms was recovered after reconstitution. Systematic variation of formulation and process parameters showed that the use of protective additives is essential and that the outlet temperature determines the survival rate. The subsequent compression of the spray-dried yeast reduced viability and survival could hardly be improved by the addition of excipients, but the tabletability of spray-dried yeast protectant particles was quite good. For the first time, loss of viability during compaction of spray-dried microorganisms was correlated with the specific densification, allowing a deeper understanding of the mechanism of cell inactivation during tableting.

Stress Response in Bifidobacteria

Bifidobacteria naturally inhabit diverse environments, including the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals. Members of the genus are of considerable scientific interest due to their beneficial effects on health and, hence, their potential to be used as probiotics. By definition, probiotic cells need to be viable despite being exposed to several stressors in the course of their production, storage, and administration. Examples of common stressors encountered by probiotic bifidobacteria include oxygen, acid, and bile salts. As bifidobacteria are highly heterogenous in terms of their tolerance to these stressors, poor stability and/or robustness can hamper the industrial-scale production and commercialization of many strains. Therefore, interest in the stress physiology of bifidobacteria has intensified in recent decades, and many studies have been established to obtain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying their stability and robustness. By complementing traditional methodologies, omics technologies have opened new avenues for enhancing the understanding of the defense mechanisms of bifidobacteria against stress. In this review, we summarize and evaluate the current knowledge on the multilayered responses of bifidobacteria to stressors, including the most recent insights and hypotheses. We address the prevailing stressors that may affect the cell viability during production and use as probiotics. Besides phenotypic effects, molecular mechanisms that have been found to underlie the stress response are described. We further discuss strategies that can be applied to improve the stability of probiotic bifidobacteria and highlight knowledge gaps that should be addressed in future studies.

Development of a microecologic product from Lactobacillus rhamnosus based on silica

BACKGROUND

Probiotics are primarily made into microecologic products for use in the food and feed industries. The freeze-drying technique is widely used in their preparation to maintain their high level of bioactivity. This causes high costs in terms of the energy and time needed. In this study, we developed a method to produce a highly active microecologic product from Lactobacillus rhamnosus using heating and silica.

RESULTS

A microecologic product was made successfully from L. rhamnosus using the whole bacterial culture broth, without waste, and using food-grade silica (4.5 mL g^-1 ) to absorb water before drying at 37 °C for 8 h. The activity of L. rhamnosus cells was increased significantly by adding water extracts of green tea to the culture medium. The viable amount of L. rhamnosus in the obtained microecologic product was 9.80 × 10¹⁰  cfu g^-1 with a survival rate of 224.67% in simulated gastric juice for 3 h and 68.2% in simulated intestinal juice for 3 h. The microecologic product treated an intestinal infection by multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in mice very efficiently.

CONCLUSION

The study developed an economic, eco-friendly, and efficient method for preparing highly active microecologic agents using heating and without waste. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Correlation Between the Amount of Extracellular Polymeric Substances and the Survival Rate to Freeze-Drying of Probiotics

To demonstrate that the amount of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the freeze-dried viability of probiotics are correlated. Three strains of probiotics including Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium bifidum were subjected to environmental challenges, such as temperature, pH, and carbon dioxide. The results indicated that the challenges could stimulate the EPS synthesis of the probiotics. The experimental correlation between the amount of synthesized EPS and the freeze-dried survival rate was also analyzed, and the viability of each of the three strains was represented by the following functions in which the equation of L. plantarum is y = - 0.0336x² + 2.7059x - 14.849 with R² = 0.9699, the B. bifidum's equation is y = - 0.0554x² + 2.6243x - 13.654 with R² = 0.9554, and the L. acidophilus's one was y = 0.0346x² + 0.5862x - 9.1339 with R² = 0.9733. This could be a new approach to determining the freeze-dried viability of probiotic strains based on the measured EPS content.

Bifidobacterium spp. as functional foods: A review of current status, challenges, and strategies

Members of Bifidobacterium are among the first microbes to colonize the human intestine naturally, their abundance and diversity in the colon are closely related to host health. Recently, the gut microbiota has been gradually proven to be crucial mediators of various metabolic processes between the external environment and the host. Therefore, the health-promoting benefits of Bifidobacterium spp. and their applications in food have gradually been widely concerned. The main purpose of this review is to comprehensively introduce general features, colonization methods, and safety of Bifidobacterium spp. in the human gut, highlighting its health benefits and industrial applications. On this basis, the existing limitations and scope for future research are also discussed. Bifidobacteria have beneficial effects on the host's digestive system, immune system, and nervous system. However, the first prerequisite for functioning is to have enough live bacteria before consumption and successfully colonize the colon after ingestion. At present, strain breeding, optimization (e.g., selecting acid and bile resistant strains, adaptive evolution, high cell density culture), and external protection technology (e.g., microencapsulation and protectants) are the main strategies to address these challenges in food application.

Comparison of the Fermentation Activities and Volatile Flavor Profiles of Chinese Rice Wine Fermented Using an Artificial Starter, a Traditional JIUYAO and a Commercial Starter

In this study, an artificial starter culture was prepared using the core microbial species of JIUYAO to produce Chinese rice wine (CRW). The fermentation activity and flavor profiles of CRW samples fermented with traditional JIUYAO, a commercial starter culture, and our artificial starter culture were compared. The optimal protectant combination for lyophilization of the artificial starter was established as 15.09% skim milk, 4.45% polyethylene glycol, 1.96% sodium glutamate, and 11.81% maltodextrin. A comparative analysis revealed that the ethanol content of the three CRW samples was similar. The total acid content of the CRW sample fermented with the artificial starter (7.10 g/L) was close to that of the sample fermented with JIUYAO (7.35 g/L), but higher than that of the sample fermented with the commercial starter (5.40 g/L). An electronic nose analysis revealed that the olfactory fingerprints of the CRW samples fermented with JIUYAO and the artificial starter resembled each other. For both above mentioned samples, the flavor profiles determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry indicated some differences in the variety and content of the aroma compounds, but the key odorants (odor activity values ≥1), such as isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, phenyl alcohol, and isoamyl alcohol, were similar.

Use of qPCR for the analysis of population heterogeneity and dynamics during Lactobacillus delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus batch fculture

Direct molecular methods such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and propidium monoazide (PMA)-qPCR have been successfully used for quantifying viable microorganisms in the food industry. This study attempted to use qPCR and PMA-qPCR for quantifying Lactobacillus delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus sp1.1 physiological states. The qPCR standards of the 16S rRNA gene were employed to calibrate the qPCR assay, which contributed to an amplification efficiency of 98.42%. The number of copies of the 16S rRNA gene was linearly related to cell density, and this linear relationship was used to construct a quantitative curve (R² =0.9981) with a detection limit of 15.1 colony-forming units mL^-1·reaction^-1. qPCR in combination with an optimal PMA concentration (60 μM) helped in discriminating and quantifying the viable cells, without any interference by heat-killed cells. Compared with the conventional methods, the population heterogeneity of viable, culturable, dormant-like and membrane-permeabilized cells were well identified and quantified using qPCR during L. delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus sp1.1 batch culture. Despite the restriction in the enumeration of lysed cells, qPCR-based methods facilitated reliable identification and quantification of bacterial physiological states and provided additional knowledge on the dynamics of L. delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus sp1.1 physiological states.

Antagonistic effects of raffia sap with probiotics against pathogenic microorganisms

Introduction. Probiotics are known for their beneficial properties. Numerous studies have been conducted to find advantages that probiotics can provide. This study aimed to evaluate the functional properties of raffia sap, a Cameroonian drink, fermented with probiotics by investigating its antagonistic activity against pathogenic bacteria. Study objects and methods. The study objective was raffia sap fermented by Lactobacillus fermentum and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Box-Behnken design with four factors (seeding rates of L. fermentum and B. bifidum, temperature, and incubation time) was used to generate mathematical models. The disc diffusion method was used to evaluate an antagonistic effect of the probiotics against four pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella sp., and Bacillus cereus). An optimization of mathematical models of the inhibition diameters allowed to determine the optimal conditions of antagonistic effect. Results and discussion. The experimental data showed that zones of inhibition were 0‒21 mm for Salmonella sp., 0‒23 mm for E. coli, 0‒20 mm for L. monocytogenes, and 0‒22 mm for B. cereus. ANOVA results and the mathematical models obtained showed that L. fermentum was effective against B. cereus and B. bifidum against Salmonella sp., E. coli, and B. cereus. The optimization of the models revealed maximum zones of inhibition at the seeding rates of L. fermentum and B. bifidum of 2 and 10%, respectively, incubation time of 48 h, and temperature of 37°C. Conclusion. Raffia sap fermented by L. fermentum and B. bifidum demonstrated antagonistic effect against pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella sp., and B. cereus.

Design and optimization of a probiotic tablet for gastrointestinal tolerance by a simplex-centroid mixture

In this study, a simplex-centroid mixture design using design of experiment (DOE) software was implemented to evaluate the effect of biopolymers as excipients, which are hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and alginate, on the gastrointestinal tolerance of probiotic tablet containing Saccharomyces boulardii. Microbial viability and dissolution time were used to evaluate the ideal formulation made using 39.01% carboxymethylcellulose and 60.99% alginate as excipients, which protected the probiotics from the acidic condition in the stomach with good dissolution time. The formulated probiotic tablet is more stable in terms of viability when stored at 4 °C compared to room temperature. However, the viability remains above 10⁶ CFU/tablet after six months of storage at room temperature. This study shows that the simplex-centroid mixture design is valid and can be used to formulate probiotic tablets that possess gastrointestinal tolerance. This study can lead to the development of commercial production of probiotic yeast tablets with gastrointestinal tolerance.

Polysaccharides can improve the survival of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subjected to freeze-drying

Freeze-drying is one of the most commonly used methods of bacteria preservation. During this process, cryoprotectants can greatly reduce cellular damage. Micromolecular cryoprotectants have been widely adopted but have limited selectivity and protective effects. Therefore, explorations of other types of cryoprotectants are needed. This study aimed to explore the possibility of the macromolecular cryoprotectants and combinations of cryoprotectants to maintain bacterial activity. We found that the survival rate of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AR113 after freeze-drying was 19% higher in the presence of soy polysaccharides than with trehalose, the best-performing micromolecular cryoprotectant. Moreover, a 90.52% survival rate of L. plantarum WCFS1 was achieved using the composite cryoprotectant containing soy polysaccharide and trehalose, which increased by 31.48 and 36.47% compared with adding solely trehalose or soy polysaccharide, respectively. These results demonstrate that macromolecular and micromolecular cryoprotectants have similar effects, and that combinations of macromolecular and micromolecular cryoprotectants have better protective effects. We further observed that the composite cryoprotectant can increase Lactobacilli survival by improving cell membrane integrity and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Our finding provides a new type of cryoprotectant that is safer and more effective, which can be extensively applied in the relevant food industry.

Commensal Obligate Anaerobic Bacteria and Health: Production, Storage, and Delivery Strategies

In the last years several human commensals have emerged from the gut microbiota studies as potential probiotics or therapeutic agents. Strains of human gut inhabitants such as Akkermansia, Bacteroides, or Faecalibacterium have shown several interesting bioactivities and are thus currently being considered as food supplements or as live biotherapeutics, as is already the case with other human commensals such as bifidobacteria. The large-scale use of these bacteria will pose many challenges and drawbacks mainly because they are quite sensitive to oxygen and/or very difficult to cultivate. This review highlights the properties of some of the most promising human commensals bacteria and summarizes the most up-to-date knowledge on their potential health effects. A comprehensive outlook on the potential strategies currently employed and/or available to produce, stabilize, and deliver these microorganisms is also presented.

Optimization of Protective Agents for The Freeze-Drying of Paenibacillus polymyxa Kp10 as a Potential Biofungicide

Anthracnose is a fungal disease causing major losses in crop production. Chemical fungicides widely used in crop plantations to combat fungal infections can be a threat to the environment and humans in the long term. Recently, biofungicides have gained much interest as an alternative to chemical fungicides due to their environmentally friendly nature. Biofungicide products in powder form can be formulated using the freeze-drying technique to provide convenient storage. Protective agent formulation is needed in maintaining the optimal viable cells of biofungicide products. In this study, 8.10 log colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL was the highest cell viability of Paenibacillus polymyxa Kp10 at 22 h during incubation. The effects of several selected protective agents on the viability of P. polymyxa Kp10 after freeze-drying were studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimizing formulation for the protective agents. The combination of lactose (10% w/v), skim milk (20% w/v), and sucrose (27.5% w/v) was found to be suitable for preserving P. polymyxa Kp10 during freeze-drying. Further, P. polymyxa Kp10 demonstrated the ability to inhibit fungal pathogens, Colletotrichum truncatum and C. gloeosporioides, at 60.18% and 66.52% of inhibition of radial growth, respectively.

Along the Process Chain to Probiotic Tablets: Evaluation of Mechanical Impacts on Microbial Viability

Today, probiotics are predominantly used in liquid or semi-solid functionalized foods, showing a rapid loss of cell viability. Due to the increasing spread of antibiotic resistance, probiotics are promising in pharmaceutical development because of their antimicrobial effects. This increases the formulation requirements, e.g., the need for an enhanced shelf life that is achieved by drying, mainly by lyophilization. For oral administration, the process chain for production of tablets containing microorganisms is of high interest and, thus, was investigated in this study. Lyophilization as an initial process step showed low cell survival of only 12.8%. However, the addition of cryoprotectants enabled survival rates up to 42.9%. Subsequently, the dried cells were gently milled. This powder was tableted directly or after mixing with excipients microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate or lactose. Survival rates during tableting varied between 1.4% and 24.1%, depending on the formulation and the applied compaction stress. More detailed analysis of the tablet properties showed advantages of excipients in respect of cell survival and tablet mechanical strength. Maximum overall survival rate along the complete manufacturing process was >5%, enabling doses of 6 × 108 colony forming units per gram (CFU gtotal−1), including cryoprotectants and excipients.

Comprehensive optimization of composite cryoprotectant for Saccharomyces boulardii during freeze-drying and evaluation of its storage stability

Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) is widely adopted in the diarrhea treatment for humans or livestock, so guaranteeing the survival rate of S. boulardii is the critical issue during freeze-drying process. In this study, the survival rate of S. boulardii with composite cryoprotectants during freeze-drying procedure and the subsequent storage were investigated. With the aid of response surface method, the composite cryoprotectants were comprehensively optimized to be lactose of 21.24%, trehalose of 22.00%, and sodium glutamate of 4.00%, contributing to the supreme survival rate of S. boulardii of 64.22 ± 1.35% with the viable cell number of 9.5 ± 0.07 × 10⁹ CFU/g, which was very close to the expected rate of 65.55% with a number of 9.6 × 10⁹ CFU/g. The accelerated storage test demonstrated that the inactivation rate constant of the freeze-dried S. boulardii powder was k_-18 = 8.04 × 10^-6. In addition, the freeze-dried goat milk powder results exhibited that the inactivation rate constants were k₄ = 4.48 × 10^-4 and k₂₅ = 9.72 × 10^-3 under 4 and 25 °C, respectively. This work provides a composite cryoprotectant formulation that has a good protective effect for the probiotic S. boulardii during freeze-drying process, possessing the potential application prospect in food, medicine, and even feed industry.