Study of the Efficacy of Probiotic Bacteria to Reduce Acrylamide in Food and In Vitro Digestion

Biodegradation of chemical contamination by lactic acid bacteria: A biological tool for food safety

Chemical pollutants such as mycotoxins and pesticides exert harmful effects on human health such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and cancer. Several strategies were applied for food decontamination, including physicochemical and biological strategies. The present review comprehensively discussed the recent efforts related to the biodegradation of eight food chemical contaminants, including mycotoxins, acrylamide, biogenic amines, N-nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bisphenol A, pesticides, and heavy metals by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Biological detoxification by LAB such as Lactobacillus is a promising approach to remove the risks related to the presence of chemical and environmental pollutants in foodstuffs. It is a safe, efficient, environmentally friendly, and low-cost strategy to remove hazardous compounds. LAB can directly decrease these chemical pollutants by degradation or adsorption. Also, it can indirectly reduce the content of these pollutants by reducing their precursors. Hence, LAB can contribute to reducing chemical pollutants in contaminated foods and enhance food safety.

Study of Potential Synergistic Effect of Probiotic Formulas on Acrylamide Reduction

Acrylamide (AA) is a food processing contaminant commonly found in fried and baked food products. In this study, the potential synergistic effect of probiotic formulas in reducing AA was studied. Five selected probiotic strains (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum ATCC14917 (L. Pl.), Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus ATCC11842 (L. B.), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei ATCC25302 (L. Pa), Streptococcus thermophilus ATCC19258, and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum ATCC15707) were selected for investigating their AA reducing capacity. It was found that L. Pl. (10⁸ CFU/mL) showed the highest AA reduction percentage (43-51%) when exposed to different concentrations of AA standard chemical solutions (350, 750, and 1250 ng/mL). The potential synergistic effect of probiotic formulas was also examined. The result demonstrated a synergistic AA reduction effect by the probiotic formula: L. Pl. + L. B., which also showed the highest AA reduction ability among the tested formulas. A further study was conducted by incubating selected probiotic formulas with potato chips and biscuit samples followed by an in vitro digestion model. The findings demonstrated a similar trend in AA reduction ability as those found in the chemical solution. This study firstly indicated the synergistic effect of probiotic formulas on AA reduction and its effect was also highly strain-dependent.

A Single Strain of Lactobacillus (CGMCC 21661) Exhibits Stable Glucose- and Lipid-Lowering Effects by Regulating Gut Microbiota

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is usually accompanied by obesity and nonalcoholic fatty-liver-related insulin resistance. The link between T2D and dysbiosis has been receiving increasing attention. Probiotics can improve insulin sensitivity by regulating imbalances in microbiota, but efficacy varies based on the probiotic used. This study screened the main strain in the feces of healthy adult mice and found it to be a new Lactobacillus (abbreviated as Lb., named as CGMCC No. 21661) after genetic testing. We designed the most common Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum (CGMCC1.2186, abbreviated as B. longum. subsp.), fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and Lb. CGMCC No. 21661 protocols to explore the best way for modulating dysbiosis to improve T2D. After 6 weeks of gavage in T2D mice, it was found that all three protocols had a therapeutic alleviating effect. Among them, compared with the B. longum. subsp. and FMT, the Lb. CGMCC No. 21661 showed a 1- to 2-fold decrease in blood glucose (11.84 ± 1.29 mmol/L, p < 0.05), the lowest HOMA-IR (p < 0.05), a 1 fold increase in serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (5.84 ± 1.1 pmol/L, p < 0.05), and lowest blood lipids (total cholesterol, 2.21 ± 0.68 mmol/L, p < 0.01; triglycerides, 0.4 ± 0.15 mmol/L, p < 0.01; Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 0.53 ± 0.16 mmol/L, p < 0.01). In addition, tissue staining in the Lb. CGMCC No. 21661 showed a 2- to 3-fold reduction in T2D-induced fatty liver (p < 0.0001), a 1- to 2-fold decrease in pancreatic apoptotic cells (p < 0.05), and a significant increase in colonic mucus layer thickness (p < 0.05) compared with the B. longum. subsp. and FMT. The glucose and lipid lowering effects of this Lb. CGMCC No. 21661 indicate that it may provide new ideas for the treatment of diabetes.