A Newly Developed Synbiotic Yogurt Prevents Diabetes by Improving the Microbiome–Intestine–Pancreas Axis

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is increasing worldwide, and there are no long-term preventive strategies to stop this growth. Emerging research shows that perturbations in the gut microbiome significantly contribute to the development of T2D, while microbiome modulators may be beneficial for T2D prevention. However, microbiome modulators that are effective, safe, affordable, and able to be administered daily are not yet available. Based on our previous pro- and prebiotic studies, we developed a novel synbiotic yogurt comprised of human-origin probiotics and plant-based prebiotics and investigated its impact on diet- and streptozotocin-induced T2D in mice. We compared the effects of our synbiotic yogurt to those of a commercially available yogurt (control yogurt). Interestingly, we found that the feeding of the synbiotic yogurt significantly reduced the development of hyperglycemia (diabetes) in response to high-fat diet feeding and streptozotocin compared to milk-fed controls. Surprisingly, the control yogurt exacerbated diabetes progression. Synbiotic yogurt beneficially modulated the gut microbiota composition compared to milk, while the control yogurt negatively modulated it by significantly increasing the abundance of detrimental bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, the synbiotic yogurt protected pancreatic islet morphology compared to the milk control, while the control yogurt demonstrated worse effects on islets. These results suggest that our newly developed synbiotic yogurt protects against diabetes in mice and can be used as a therapeutic to prevent diabetes progression.     

Innovative production of multistrain synbiotic product using Thai-pigmented rice and rice bran oil

This study found that the isolated probiotics Lactobacillus paracasei KUKPS6201, L. acidophilus KUKPS6107, L. reuteri KUKPS6103, L. rhamnosus KUKPS6007, L. salivarius KUKPS6202, Bacillus coagulans KPSTF02 and Saccharomyces boulardii KUKPS6005 had high potential for probiotic properties. All strains had antibacterial activity and high antioxidant activity of 1.654 ± 0.017 mg Trolox mL⁻¹ probiotic extract. The selected strains could survive in a simulated gastrointestinal tract under anaerobic conditions and showed no haemolytic activity. Furthermore, the probiotic strains were strongly auto-aggregated and also showed co-aggregated ability with pathogenic bacteria. The probiotic microorganisms demonstrated high ability to adhere to Thai-pigmented rice grains. The results of analysis of these probiotics showed that Riceberry rice bran oil was an excellent prebiotic. A synbiotic product containing Thai-pigmented rice grains (cultivar Riceberry, Luem Pua and Black Jasmine) and rice bran oil was produced. After 8 weeks of storage, the viability of the probiotics in terms of multistrains was 7.36 ± 0.04 log CFU g^–1 (85.78% survival rate). Microbiological safety testing indicated that the amounts of contaminants were acceptable. This study provided the first scientific report on the feasibility of applying Thai-pigment rice, rice bran oil and mixed-culture probiotics as a novel functional synbiotic product.     

Short communication: Biogenic amine formation during fermentation in functional sheep milk yogurts

The present study evaluated biogenic amine (BA) content during the fermentation period in functional sheep milk yogurts. Four treatments were prepared and assessed: natural (NSY), prebiotic (PreSY), probiotic (ProSY), and synbiotic (SynSY). Biogenic amines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, and tyramine), proteolysis activity, and pH were measured during each hour of fermentation. Grumixama pulp was added to all formulations as a technological strategy and potential substrate for bacteria during fermentation. The yogurt and probiotic bacteria were viable (≥7 log cfu·mL⁻¹) on d 0. The pH levels of the functional sheep milk yogurts had a more pronounced decrease than did the control of NSY. However, all yogurt samples underwent gradual decreases in pH until final fermentation. Proteolytic activity remained constant in all treatments during fermentation. The NSY, PreSY, ProSY, and SynSY presented the same behavior for all BA, with differences in concentration. Putrescine, cadaverine, and spermidine contents decreased, whereas spermine remained constant and tyramine increased. We conclude that fermentation of functional sheep milk yogurts can produce tyramine.     

In vitro fermentation of cereal dietary fibre carbohydrates by probiotic and intestinal bacteria

A range of probiotic and other intestinal bacteria were examined for their ability to ferment the dietary fibre carbohydrates β‐glucan, xylan, xylo‐oligosaccharides (XOS) and arabinoxylan. β‐Glucan was fermented by Bacteroides spp and Clostridium beijerinckii but was not fermented by lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, enterococci or Escherichia coli. Unsubstituted xylan was not fermented by any of the probiotic bacteria examined. However, many Bifidobacterium species and Lactobacillus brevis were able to grow to high yields using XOS. XOS were also efficiently fermented by some Bacteroides isolates but not by E coli, enterococci, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens or by the majority of intestinal Lactobacillus species examined. Bifidobacterium longum strains were able to grow well using arabinoxylan as the sole carbon source. These organisms hydrolysed and fermented the arabinosyl residues from arabinoxylan but did not substantially utilise the xylan backbone of the polysaccharide. Arabinoxylan was not fermented by lactobacilli, enterococci, E coli, C perfringens or C difficile and has potential to be an applicable carbohydrate to complement probiotic Bif longum strains in synbiotic combinations. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

In vitro assessment of antimicrobial efficacy of the D-tagatose and lactobacilli-based synbiotic preparations against the pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium

The study aimed to investigate the utilisation of prebiotic D-tagatose by probiotic lactobacilli (L. rhamnosus GG, L. casei, L. acidophilus and L. fermentum) and enteric pathogens (E. coli and S. typhimurium) to determine synbiotic potential of D-tagatose and lactobacilli combination. The antimicrobial efficacy of the synbiotic preparations (D-tagatose with lactobacillus) was assessed against selected pathogens in co-culture assays. Evidently, D-tagatose supported growth of selected lactobacilli, especially the L. rhamnosus GG and L. casei, but not the enteric pathogens. The tested synbiotic preparations completely inhibited growth of both the pathogens, even in the presence of D-glucose in co-cultures. The well-diffusion assay demonstrated the presence of antimicrobial activity as recorded by drop of culture pH. The study substantiated that D-tagatose could be an effective prebiotic component for formulation of potential synbiotic combinations with L. rhamnosus GG or L. casei that can be used as an alternative to antibiotics against enteric pathogens.     

The effects of inulin as a prebiotic supplement and the synbiotic interactions of probiotics to improve oxalate degrading activity

This paper examines the impact of inulin, Lactobacillus spp. (candidate probiotics), and synbiotic (inulin + Lactobacillus spp.) preparation on oxalate degrading activity and viability of Escherichia coli. In this study, the lowest viability of E. coli was recorded for the synbiotic treatments of Lactobacillus fermentum BP5 (59%) and IP5 (60%). The oxalate degrading activity of L. fermentum IP5 was 38.18 and 29.60% higher than the other strains after growth in 10 mM and 20 mM MRS-ox plus 5% inulin media, respectively. The mixture of three strains demonstrated higher oxalate degrading capacity than the individual strains and showed the same good growth rates (9.43 CFU mL⁻¹) as individuals. The study concludes that the addition of prebiotics has a significant effect on probiotics; therefore, a combination of L. fermentum IP5 with inulin could be a viable probiotic-based functional food approach in administering oxalate metabolism and also treatment of E. coli-related infections.