Probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from mulberry silage

Lactic acid bacteria are the most important bacteria that have been used as probiotic in food and feed industries. Due to their beneficial probiotic properties, research for new lactic acid bacterial strains is still continued; the new strains which are more tolerate to the stress conditions of the GIT, and have better probiotic properties than existing strains. In the present study, a total of 50 isolates were isolated from mulberry silage as a potential source for isolation of lactic acid bacteria. Based on the initial identification using catalase test, gram staining and colony and cell morphology, 38 isolates which were most probably lactic acid bacteria were selected for in vitro acid and bile tolerance tests. Of the 38 isolates, 34 were acid tolerance and 21 were bile tolerance. Identification of 10 selected isolates, which exhibited better acid and bile tolerance than the others, using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that all 10 isolates belonged to the genus Lactobacillus including one L. pentosus, two L. farraginis, two L. brevis and five L. acidipiscis. Results of studies on reduction of pH in the growth medium and organic acid production profiles of the strains revealed that four selected Lactobacillus strains (one strain from each species, namely L. farraginis ITA22, L. pentosus ITA23, L. brevis ITA33 and L. acidipiscis ITA44) reduced the pH of their growth medium to the levels of 3.2 to 4.1 during 24 h of incubation by production of organic acids, mainly lactic acid (production of 187.27 to 433.41 mM) and acetic acid (production of 86.79 to 106.21 mM). Generally, the four isolated Lactobacillus strains showed good tolerance to acid and bile salts, so they would probably be able to survive in the GIT, and they could be considered as potential probiotic candidates for humans and animals. They produced considerable amounts of organic acids, which could be a positive point toward their antagonistic activity against pathogenic strains. However, further studies are needed to investigate their probiotic properties including antimicrobial activity

Isolation and characterization of Lactobacillus strains as potential probiotics for chickens

The ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for poultry production in many countries has led to increasing interest to use probiotics as an alternative. In the present study, some Lactobacillus strains were isolated from chicken intestines, identified and assessed (in vitro) for their ability to survive and colonize the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), with a view to select suitable strains as potential probiotic candidates for chickens. Out of 42 isolated strains, three isolates, identified as Lactobacillus strains based on initial identification and tolerant to acid and bile based on preliminary screening using turbidity (optical density) as a measurement of growth, were selected for detailed identification and further in vitro assays. The three isolates were identified to species level using carbohydrate fermentation profile analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that all three strains belonged to Lactobacillus salivarius. The three L. salivarius strains were then assessed for their ability to tolerate the stress conditions in the GIT and capacity to adhere to the intestinal epithelial cells using in vitro assays of acid, bile and pancreatic enzyme tolerance measured by viable colony counts, and adhesion assay using Caco-2 cell line. The results showed that all three L. salivarius strains exhibited good tolerance to acid, bile and pancreatic enzymes and a strong ability to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, they would be able to survive the stress conditions of GIT, as well as to attach and colonize the GIT, and could be considered as good potential candidates for probiotics of chickens

Extraction and characterization of oligosaccharides from palm kernel cake as prebiotic

The main objective of the present study was to extract and characterize oligosaccharides from palm kernel cake (OligoPKC) to be used as a prebiotic. Up to 16.81% of oligosaccharides were extracted from PKC using neutral detergent solution with two to eight degrees of polymerization. Molecular weights of seven fractions of OligoPKC were estimated using a mass spectrophotometer procedure resembling those of mannobiose, mannotriose, mannotetraose, mannopentaose, and mannohexaose standards, while those of two unknown components resembled those of heptasaccharide and octasaccharide. Enzymatic hydrolysis of OligoPKC using 11 enzymes showed that β-mannosidase and β-mannanase had the highest effects. OligoPKC fractions were potential substrates for growth of four species of Lactobacillus. Supplementation of OligoPKC in the diet of broiler chickens increased the population of beneficial microbes. However, it reduced the populations of pathogenic bacteria in the cecum. Hence, OligoPKC can be considered a potential prebiotic supplement in the feed and food industry

Towards immunity of oil palm against Ganoderma fungus infection

The first record of Ganoderma can be traced back to the Pharmacopoeia written by Chinese scientists in first century B.C. Several Ganoderma species are known as “white rot” fungi, which cause the display of the white cellulose on wood by degrading the lignin component. Ganoderma boninense is the main agent of basal stem rot (BSR) disease, as a persistent problem in the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.) cultivation that needs to be controlled. Oil palm, which is the main host of this pathogen, is an economically important crop grown in Southeast Asia, Africa, and America. Due to the negative effects of Ganoderma on the plants, especially on oil palm, this review focuses on the mechanisms of Ganoderma infection and its control, the importance of lignin and silicon (Si) to plant defense. This review also explores different methods for Ganoderma control and techniques for producing less susceptible oil palm. Genetic manipulation of oil palm for enhancing resistance to Ganoderma is also discussed

Conjugated linoleic acid: a potent fatty acid linked to animal and human health

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a mixture of isomers of linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6), which is mostly found in the ruminant meat and dairy products. The CLA is known to have many potential health benefits, and considered a potent powerful fatty acid, which is linked to animal and human health. The present work aims to discuss the source and production, mechanism of action, and effects of CLA on humans, poultry and ruminants by reviewing the recent studies carried out on CLA. Despite most of recent studies indicating beneficial effects of CLA on improving body weight control parameters, its effects on reducing risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), inflammation, blood glucose and insulin are still controversial, and need to be further studied in different hosts

Influence of dietary palm kernel cake on growth performance, carcass composition, meat quality, volatile fatty acids, intestinal bacteria population and villi histology of Cherry Valley ducks

The effects of feeding palm kernel cake on growth performance, carcass composition, meat quality, volatile fatty acids, intestinal bacteria population and villi histology of Cherry Valley ducks were investigated. A total of 36 one-day old Cherry Valley ducklings were randomly allocated to 3 dietary groups, namely T1: basal diet (control); T2: basal diet + 15% palm kernel cake (PKC) and T3: basal diet + 35% PKC. After 56 d of experiment, results showed that dietary PKC had no significant effect on final body weight and weight gain of ducks. However, ducks fed T3 had higher feed intake and lower feed conversion ratio compared with other treatments. Dressing percentage and weight of liver and heart decreased as the level of PKC increased, while gizzard weight increased. Dietary PKC had no significant effect on the color coordinates, tenderness, drip and cooking losses and pH of muscle. Bacterial population varied significantly among gut sections, except for jejunum. Ducks fed T2 had highest villus height and crypt depth, while the ratio of villus height to crypt depth was the highest for control ducks. Our findings suggest that PKC can be incorporated in the diet of ducks up to 35% to improve their gut health without any adverse effect on growth performance or meat quality

Characterization and exploitation of Lactobacillus strains as potential probiotics for humans and chickens

Among the lactic acid bacteria, lactobacilli are the most common microorganisms used as probiotics. Many different strains of Lactobacillus have been reported to be suitable probiotics for different hosts and new strains are being discovered as potential candidates. It has been suggested that there are beneficial lactic acid bacterial strains in human milk and feces, fermented foods and chicken intestines which can be used as probiotics. Thus, this study was conducted to isolate, identify and characterize some new lactic acid bacterial strains from the above-mentioned sources with a view to exploit them as potential probiotics for humans and chickens. One hundred and eighty-two lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated and 12 strains which showed bile and acid tolerance (growth measured as cell turbidity) were selected and identified using carbohydrate fermentation patterns and 16S rRNA gene sequences. All 12 strains belonged to the genus Lactobacillus, of which three strains were L. buchneri, three were L. casei, one was L. acidophilus, two were L. fermentum and three were L. salivarius. The 12 Lactobacillus strains and two commercial reference strains, L. casei Shirota and L. reuteri C10, were tested for their ability to survive in the gastrointestinal tract using the following characteristics: tolerance to acid, bile salt and pancreatic enzyme (growth measured as viable counts of colony forming units [CFU]/ml) and adherence to intestinal cell line. The results showed that all 12 Lactobacillus strains were able to tolerate acid, bile and pancreatic enzyme. All 12 Lactobacillus strains also exhibited good adherence to the intestinal cell line (10.3 to 37.7 Lactobacillus cells per Caco-2 cell). In vitro assays on their bioactivities showed that all 12 Lactobacillus strains exhibited good antagonistic activity against a wide range of pathogens and most of the strains had significantly higher inhibitory effect against the pathogens than the two commercial reference strains. The antagonistic activity was due to production of organic acids. All strains also showed cholesterolreducing activity, good antioxidant activity and production of useful enzymes. The cholesterolreducing and antioxidant activities of many of the strains were significantly higher than those of the two commercial reference strains. Only three L. salivarius strains which were isolated from chicken intestines, and L. acidophilus HM1 isolated from human milk showed moderate to high BSH activity. None of the Lactobacillus strains produced harmful enzymes or biogenic amines. Three Lactobacillus strains (L. acidophilus HM1, L. fermentum HM3 and L. buchneri FD2) selected for their good adherence ability (33.5, 37.7 and 35.9 Lactobacillus cells per Caco-2 cell, respectively), and the commercial reference strain L. casei Shirota (19.7 Lactobacillus cells per Caco-2 cell) were investigated for their cytotoxic activity against three cancer cell lines and a normal cell line. The results showed that the three Lactobacillus strains showed selectivity in killing cancer cells when compared to the normal cells. However, the commercial reference strain, L. casei Shirota, did not show selectivity toward the cancer or normal cells. The efficacy of a mixture of three L. salivarius strains isolated from chicken intestines, which showed good probiotic traits, was evaluated in broiler chickens. The results revealed that the mixture of Lactobacillus strains significantly improved the body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio, increased beneficial cecal bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, decreased harmful cecal bacteria such as E. coli and total aerobes, decreased serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides, reduced harmful cecal bacterial enzymes, β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase, and improved the histomorphology of the gut by increasing villus heights and villus height:crypt depth ratio of broiler chickens. Two Lactobacillus strains (L. fermentum HM3 and L. buchneri FD2 isolated from human milk and fermented dates, respectively), with very good probiotic characteristics were selected as potential probiotic for humans and a safety assessment of them was carried out using acute and subacute oral toxicity tests in Sprague-Dawley rats. Results showed that both strains were safe and even at a high concentration of 1010 CFU/kg BW/day there were no observed adverse effects on growth, feed consumption, cellular blood components, serum biochemistry and vital organs of the animals fed Lactobacillus strains. The two Lactobacillus strains also increased beneficial cecal bacterial populations, and decreased pathogenic bacterial populations and harmful intestinal bacterial enzymes. In conclusion, all 12 Lactobacillus strains isolated in the present study showed good probiotic characteristics and bioactivities in vitro. In vivo study of three L. salivarius strains in broiler chickens indicated that they improved performance and well-being of chickens, and could be good probiotics for chickens, while toxicity tests on L. fermentum HM3 and L. buchneri FD2 in rats showed that they are safe, and could be further investigated and exploited as probiotics for humans

Method for reduction of methane production per unit of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) production from ruminants and improvement of microbial feed degradation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB).

A method for isolating potential lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which acts as probiotic from a feed capable of reducing ruminal gas production per unit of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) in a rumen of a ruminant includes the steps of providing a selective media for selecting lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the feed, testing the selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for multiple test parameters, identifying multiple isolates based on at least one result of the multiple test parameters and isolating at least one strain of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the identified multiple isolates by using at least one molecular biology method. The at least one strain of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated is selected from at least two different cultures of bacterial strains

Composition for reducing metal toxicity and a method thereof

A composition for reducing metal toxicity, the composition comprising Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus acidipiscis in a ratio ranges from 0:1 to 1:0. A method for reducing absorption of toxic metal consumed by a subject is also provided. The method comprising administering the subject therapeutic effective amount of the composition of the present invention

Method of extraction and characterization of oligosaccarides from palm kernel cake

A method for producing multiple oligosaccharides having a potential prebiotic effect from a palm kernel cake includes the steps of providing the palm kernel cake into a solvent, extracting and separating the multiple oligosaccharides from the palm kernel cake, quantifying the multiple oligosaccharides by using at least one chromatography method and characterizing the multiple oligosaccharides. The multiple oligosaccharides act as a prebiotic and substrate for at least one strain of lactic acid bacteria