Dietary intervention with edible film-coated multistrain probiotic Lacticaseibacilli in nondairy food matrices significantly increased the recovery of fecal viable Lacticaseibacilli and improved the performance of several colonic biomarkers among slightly malnourished preschool children

• Published in: Food & function 2024-01, Vol.15 (2), p.977-991
• Main Authors: Gad, Mosab, Elbahnasawy, Amr S, Ramadan, Asmaa A, Yamamah, Gamal Abdel Naser, Hussein, Laila
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia; Biocompatibility; Biomarkers; Biscuits; Children; Clinical trials; Dairy products; Dietary supplements; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Excretion; Feces; Food; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Immunoglobulin A; Informed consent; Inulin; Kindergarten; Medical research; Microbiomes; Milk free; Placebos; Preschool children; Probiotics; Refrigeration; Research ethics; Research facilities; Statistical analysis
• ISSN: 2042-6496; 2042-650X
• DOI: 10.1039/d3fo02829a

Probiotic enriched dairy products are widely consumed in Western countries for their beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal tract and overall health. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of probiotic Lacticaseibacilli (LAB) strains in non-dairy food matrices. A blend of edible film-coated probiotic LAB, L. plantarum , L. paracasei , and L. rhamnosus , were incorporated into plain biscuits and dry dates. Design of the randomized controlled study: Children of both sexes (mean age 55.7 ± 14.5 months) attending kindergarten in Tersa, a poor urban Giza district, were recruited and randomized into 5 groups of equal numbers. Treatment groups: (1) placebo biscuits, (2) functional probiotic biscuits (0.18 billion colony forming units (cfu) of LAB) (3) functional probiotic + inulin biscuits (0.2 billion cfu of LAB + 2 g of chicory inulin); (4) placebo dates and (5) functional probiotic dates (0.3 billion cfu of viable multistrain LAB). The supplements were served 5 days a week and each child had to consume 21 servings of the supplement. The primary outcome was an increase in the fecal recovery of viable LAB after the intake of 21 servings (T 1 ) compared to the respective baseline counts (T 0 ). The secondary outcomes include the determination of fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-Ig A) using ELISA and fecal ammonia excretion. Results : Statistically significant % increases in the recoveries of fecal viable LAB were found among the children consuming 21 servings of supplements 2, 3, and 5 compared to the respective count at T 0 . Similar significant increases were found in the fecal concentrations of SCFA and s-Ig A among the children consuming 21 servings of supplements 2, 3 and 5 compared to the respective counts at T 0 . On the other hand, the concentration of toxic ammonia excretion decreased significantly in the feces of all children consuming probiotic-containing supplements (groups 2, 3, and 5) at T 1 compared to the respective concentrations obtained at T 0 . Conclusion : Multistrain microencapsulated probiotic Lacticaseibacilli in functional biscuits and dry dates successfully tolerated the acidic gastric transit and exerted their bioactive action on the colonic microbiome. The synbiotic supplement exhibited a higher production rate of colonic SCFA. Probiotic-enriched products that confer definitive health benefits are convenient and do not need to be kept under refrigeration. Manipulating the