Lactic Acid Fermentation and the Colours of Biotechnology: 4th Edition

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Metabolism, Physiology & Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2025) | Viewed by 3881

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Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: functional foods; plant-based foods; dairy alternatives; biotransformation; by-products valorization; fermented products; bioactivity; probiotics; biopolymers; food microbiology; lactic acid bacteria
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The heterogeneous class of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has represented a continuous reservoir of biotechnological production for millennia. In light of the recent innovative applications in lactic acid fermentation in the different biotechnological sectors and industries (e.g., food production, agricultural and environmental practices, industrial processes, medical and pharmaceutical solutions), this Special Issue will encompass multiple aspects of LAB-based innovations from the biological understanding (e.g., genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and systems biology; bioinformatics; microbial physiology and metabolism) to the biotechnological development (e.g., strain improvement; bioprocess and metabolic engineering; applied genetics and molecular biotechnology), including aspects dealing with industrialization (e.g., scale up of fermentation processes; downstream processing of fermentation products; bioreactor design; monitoring, biosensors and instrumentation; biosafety and biosecurity).

The success of the first three editions can be found at:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/fermentation/special_issues/lactic_acid_fermentation_2

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/fermentation/special_issues/lactic_acid_fermentation

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/fermentation/special_issues/lactic_acid_3

Prof. Dr. Łukasz Łopusiewicz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • starter cultures and protective cultures
  • functional biomolecules
  • biocontrol
  • food quality
  • fermentation
  • biotransformations
  • prebiotics and probiotics
  • vaccines
  • antimicrobial substances
  • bioplastic
  • biodiversity and bioremediation
  • animal nutrition

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4205 KiB  
Article
Lacticaseibacillus paracasei LT12—A Probiotic Strain That Reduces Hyperuricemia via Inhibiting XO Activity and Regulating Renal Uric Acid Transportation Protein
by Wei-Ting Tseng, Xiang-Ru Kong, Yu-Tsung Han, Wen-Yang Lin, Deyi Yin, Lei Du, Jingli Xie and Tien-Hung Chang
Fermentation 2025, 11(2), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11020096 - 13 Feb 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Hyperuricemia (HUA), characterized by elevated serum uric acid (UA) levels, is a key risk factor for gout. In human purine metabolism, approximately 70% of UA is excreted via the kidneys, while the remaining 30% is eliminated through the intestines. Thus, the intestinal microbiota [...] Read more.
Hyperuricemia (HUA), characterized by elevated serum uric acid (UA) levels, is a key risk factor for gout. In human purine metabolism, approximately 70% of UA is excreted via the kidneys, while the remaining 30% is eliminated through the intestines. Thus, the intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating UA metabolism through the gut–kidney axis. However, the detailed mechanisms by which the microbiota reduces serum UA levels and supports kidney health remain unclear. In this study, researchers investigated the potential of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei LT12, a strain exhibiting xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition activity and the ability to degrade inosine and guanosine, in reducing UA levels in a hyperuricemia mouse model. Hyperuricemia was induced by gavaging mice with 300 mg/kg of potassium oxonate and hypoxanthine for two weeks. The subsequent 4-week intervention included five groups: a normal control group, a model group, a positive control group receiving allopurinol (5 mg/kg body weight), a low-dose LT12 group (1.5 × 10⁶ CFU/kg), and a high-dose LT12 group (4.5 × 10⁹ CFU/kg). The results demonstrated that L. paracasei LT12 effectively reduced serum UA levels, inhibited serum and hepatic XO activity, regulated renal uric acid transporter proteins (OAT1, URAT1, GLUT9, and ABCG2), and reduced the abundance of the intestinal pathogenic bacterium Corynebacterium stationis in both the low-dose and high-dose groups. Notably, only the high-dose LT12 group significantly increased gut butyrate levels. In conclusion, L. paracasei LT12 shows promise as a potential probiotic strain for ameliorating hyperuricemia. Future human clinical studies are needed to validate its efficacy. Full article
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18 pages, 12921 KiB  
Article
Exploring CAZymes Differences in Pediococcus acidilactici Strain OM681363 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Strain ON606241 Based on Whole-Genome Sequencing
by Miao Lin, Shakib Mohamed Jama, Zhiqiang Cheng, Yujie Zong, Yanjing Su, Wengboyang Liu and Li Liu
Fermentation 2025, 11(2), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11020064 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 513
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a collective term for bacteria capable of producing lactic acid from fermentable carbohydrates. Despite their widespread presence in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals, where they play important physiological roles, functional analysis of specific strains from particular [...] Read more.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a collective term for bacteria capable of producing lactic acid from fermentable carbohydrates. Despite their widespread presence in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals, where they play important physiological roles, functional analysis of specific strains from particular sources requires further enrichment. The objective of this study was to explore the differences between Pediococcus acidilactici OM681363 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei ON606241, both isolated from the rumen of Chinese Holstein dairy cows, using whole-genome sequencing. The results indicate that P. acidilactici OM681363 contained three CRISPR fragments and numerous enzymes involved in carbohydrate degradation. Additionally, P. acidilactici OM681363 possessed more genes related to fiber degradation, especially cellobiose, and the sole carbon source experiment also confirmed this. However, it lacked genes associated with polysaccharide lyase. In contrast, L. paracasei ON606241 was found to be more specialized in breaking down non-fiber carbohydrates, producing more acetic and lactic acids. Overall, P. acidilactici OM681363 may have a greater capacity to degrade complex carbohydrates, while L. paracasei ON606241 appears to specifically target non-fiber carbohydrates. Full article
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27 pages, 2817 KiB  
Article
A Novel Wild-Type Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Strain Suitable for the Production of Functional Yoghurt and Ayran Products
by Ioanna Prapa, Chrysoula Pavlatou, Vasiliki Kompoura, Anastasios Nikolaou, Electra Stylianopoulou, George Skavdis, Maria E. Grigoriou and Yiannis Kourkoutas
Fermentation 2025, 11(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11010037 - 17 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Raw goat and ewe’s milk samples were used for the isolation of seven lactic acid bacteria new strains. After testing hemolytic activity and resistance to antibiotics, specific functional properties were evaluated; Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis FBM_1321 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei FBM_1327 strains resulted in [...] Read more.
Raw goat and ewe’s milk samples were used for the isolation of seven lactic acid bacteria new strains. After testing hemolytic activity and resistance to antibiotics, specific functional properties were evaluated; Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis FBM_1321 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei FBM_1327 strains resulted in the highest cholesterol assimilation percentages ranging from 28.78 to 30.56%. In addition, strong adhesion capacity to differentiated Caco-2 cells (1.77–21.04%) was mapped, and the lactobacilli strains exhibited strong antagonistic activity against foodborne pathogens compared to lactococci. The strains were able to grow at low pH and high NaCl concentrations, conditions that prevail in food systems (cell counts ranged from 1.77 to 8.48 log CFU/mL after exposure to pH 3 and from 5.66 to 9.52 log CFU/mL after exposure to NaCl concentrations up to 8%). As a next step, freeze-dried immobilized Lc. paracasei FBM_1327 cells on oat flakes were used for the preparation of functional yoghurt and ayran products. Cell loads of the functional strain remained high and stable in both products (7.69 log CFU/g in yoghurt and 8.56 log CFU/g in ayran after 30 days of storage at 4 °C) throughout their shelf life. No significant changes in the volatile profile were noticed, and the new products were accepted by the panel during the sensory evaluation. Full article
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11 pages, 2067 KiB  
Article
Stimulation of Hair Growth Effect by Fermented Ginsenosides Using Levilactobacillus brevis THK-D437
by Eun-Ji Yi, Trang Thi Minh Nguyen, Jeehaeng Jeong, Xiangji Jin, Qiwen Zheng, Se-Jig Park, Gyeong-Seon Yi, Su-Jin Yang and Tae-Hoo Yi
Fermentation 2024, 10(11), 565; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10110565 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1121
Abstract
Hair growth is crucial for physiological functions and psychological well-being, leading to an increasing demand for research in this area. While low-molecular ginsenosides have been shown to promote hair growth in mice, studies on their effects are limited, and there is a lack [...] Read more.
Hair growth is crucial for physiological functions and psychological well-being, leading to an increasing demand for research in this area. While low-molecular ginsenosides have been shown to promote hair growth in mice, studies on their effects are limited, and there is a lack of research examining the impact of ginsenoside fermentation products derived from lactic acid bacteria. This study investigated the hair-growth-promoting effect of fermented ginsenoside by fermentation of Levilactobacillus brevis THK-D437, which was isolated from the traditional Korean fermented food kimchi and features high β-glucosidase activity. In the cell-based MTT assay, the proliferation rate was increased by 25% in the fermented ginsenoside-treated group on human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPCs). In the alopecia mouse model study (C57BL/6 mouse model), enhanced hair growth was observed in the fermented ginsenoside-treated mouse groups. Tissue histological analyses showed that the number of hair follicles and the thickness of the epidermis, respectively, were increased in the fermented ginsenoside-treated mouse groups. These results suggested that fermented ginsenoside has a promoting effect on hair growth and a retarding effect on the catagen stage. Therefore, fermented ginseng products might be a new potential therapeutic candidate for promoting hair growth. Full article
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