The first dairy product exclusively fermented by Propionibacterium freudenreichii: A new vector to study probiotic potentialities in vivo

• Published in: Food microbiology 2012-10, Vol.32 (1), p.135-146
• Main Authors: Cousin, Fabien J., Louesdon, Séverine, Maillard, Marie-Bernadette, Parayre, Sandrine, Falentin, Hélène, Deutsch, Stéphanie-Marie, Boudry, Gaëlle, Jan, Gwénaël
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Dairy propionibacteria; Female; Fermentation; Fermented milk; Food industries; Food microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Humans; Lactic Acid - metabolism; Life Sciences; Male; Microbial Viability; Milk - microbiology; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; Probiotic; Probiotics - metabolism; Propionates - metabolism; Propionibacterium; Propionibacterium - cytology; Propionibacterium - metabolism; Survival; Swine
• ISSN: 0740-0020; 1095-9998
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2012.05.003

Dairy propionibacteria display probiotic properties which require high populations of live and metabolically active propionibacteria in the colon. In this context, the probiotic vector determines probiotic efficiency. Fermented dairy products protect propionibacteria against digestive stresses and generally contain a complex mixture of lactic and propionic acid bacteria. This does not allow the identification of dairy propionibacteria specific beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to develop a dairy product exclusively fermented by dairy propionibacteria. As they grow poorly in milk, we determined their nutritional requirements concerning carbon and nitrogen by supplementing milk ultrafiltrate (UF) with different concentrations of lactate and casein hydrolysate. Milk or UF supplemented with 50 mM lactate and 5 g L−1 casein hydrolysate allowed growth of all dairy propionibacteria studied. In these new fermented dairy products, dairy propionibacteria remained viable and stress-tolerant in vitro during minimum 15 days at 4 °C. The efficiency of milk fermented by the most tolerant Propionibacterium freudenreichii strain was evaluated in piglets. Viability and SCFA content in the colon evidenced survival and metabolic activity of P. freudenreichii. This work results in the design of a new food grade vector, which will allow preclinical and clinical trials. ► We developed the first fermented milk exclusively fermented by a dairy propionibacterium. ► Dairy propionibacteria remained viable during storage at 4 °C in this new fermented milk. ► Dairy propionibacteria survived to digestive stress in this new fermented milk. ► This new fermented milk allowed high level and metabolically active propionibacteria population in vivo.