Although most vitamins are present in a variety of foods, human vitamin deficiencies still occur in many countries, mainly because of malnutrition not only as a result of insufficient food intake but also because of unbalanced diets. Even though most lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are auxotrophic for several vitamins, it is now known that certain strains have the capability to synthesize water‐soluble vitamins such as those included in the B‐group (folates, riboflavin and vitamin B12 amongst others). This review article will show the current knowledge of vitamin biosynthesis by LAB and show how the proper selection of starter cultures and probiotic strains could be useful in preventing clinical and subclinical vitamin deficiencies. Here, several examples will be presented where vitamin‐producing LAB led to the elaboration of novel fermented foods with increased and bioavailable vitamins. In addition, the use of genetic engineering strategies to increase vitamin production or to create novel vitamin‐producing strains will also be discussed. This review will show that the use of vitamin‐producing LAB could be a cost‐effective alternative to current vitamin fortification programmes and be useful in the elaboration of novel vitamin‐enriched products.

Researchers have demonstrated that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with immunomodulatory capabilities (immunobiotics) exert their beneficial effects through several molecules, including cell wall, peptidoglycan, and exopolysaccharides (EPS), that are able to interact with specific host cell receptors. EPS from LAB show a wide heterogeneity in its composition, meaning that biological properties depend on the strain and. therefore, only a part of the mechanism of action has been elucidated for these molecules. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the health-promoting actions of EPS from LAB with special focus on their immunoregulatory actions. In addition, we describe our studies using porcine intestinal epithelial cells (PIE cells) as a model to evaluate the molecular interactions of EPS from two immunobiotic LAB strains and the host cells. Our studies showed that EPS from immunobiotic LAB have anti-inflammatory capacities in PIE cells since they are able to reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines in cells challenged with the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4-agonist lipopolysaccharide. The effects of EPS were dependent on TLR2, TLR4, and negative regulators of TLR signaling. We also reported that the radioprotective 105 (RP105)/MD1 complex, a member of the TLR family, is partially involved in the immunoregulatory effects of the EPS from LAB. Our work described, for the first time, that LAB and their EPS reduce inflammation in intestinal epithelial cells in a RP105/MD1-dependent manner. A continuing challenge for the future is to reveal more effector-receptor relationships in immunobiotic-host interactions that contribute to the beneficial effects of these bacteria on mucosal immune homeostasis. A detailed molecular understanding should lead to a more rational use of immunobiotics in general, and their EPS in particular, as efficient prevention and therapies for specific immune-related disorders in humans and animals.

Folate is a B-group vitamin that cannot be synthesized by humans and must be obtained exogenously. Although some species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can produce folates, little is known about the production of this vitamin by yogurt starter cultures. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus strains were isolated from artisanal Argentinean yogurts and were grown in folate-free culture medium (FACM) and nonfat milk after which intracellular and extracellular folate production were evaluated. From the initial 92 isolated LAB strains, 4 L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and 32 S. thermophilus were able to grow in the absence of folate. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL 863 and S. thermophilus CRL 415 and CRL 803 produced the highest extracellular folate levels (from 22.3 to 135 µg/L) in FACM. In nonfat milk, these strains were able to increase the initial folate concentrations by almost 190%. This is the first report where native strains of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus were shown to produce natural folate. The LAB strains identified in this study could be used in developing novel fermented products bio-enriched in natural folates that could in turn be used as an alternative to fortification with the controversial synthetic chemical folic acid.

No abstract

No abstract