In this study, 53 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Xueo, a traditional fermented yak milk in the western Sichuan Plateau of China, were identified and their use in fermented milk was evaluated. All gram-positive and catalase-negative strains were divided into 6 groups at the level of 87% similarity using amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. These groups were identified as 6 species using 16S rDNA sequence analysis and atpA gene analysis. The dominant LAB strains in Xueo were Enterococcus durans, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus paracasei, accounting for 45.3, 22.6, and 17.0% of isolates, respectively. Milk fermented with most of the representative strains was high in quality, exhibiting relatively high viscosity, moderate acidity, good sensory quality, and high counts of viable LAB. Fermented milk of E. durans SCA16 and L. fermentum SCA52 achieved the highest scores for overall sensory quality. Most strains displayed antimicrobial activity against at least 1 of 9 spoilage microorganisms. Lactic acid was the main factor inhibiting the growth of spoilage bacteria, and H(2)O(2) was also inhibitory to some extent. Excluding the influence of acid and H(2)O(2), strains SCA52 (L. fermentum) and SCA7 (Lactobacillus plantarum) were antagonistic against some of the indicators, suggesting that the 2 strains may produce a bacteriocin-like substance. Therefore, the development of superior strains isolated from Xueo to ferment milk with similar flavor and texture to Xueo is expected.
Weanling pigs, with an underdeveloped intestine and immature immune system, are usually subjected to depressed feed intake, growth retardation, and postweaning diarrhea. The aim of this study was to determine 1) the growth response of weaned pigs to supplemental tributyrin (TB) and 2) the potential effects and mechanisms of TB in modulating immune responses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged piglets. A total of 240 piglets (Duroc × Large White × Landrace) were weaned at 21 d of age to a control (basal diet), supplemented with antibiotics (AB; +AB), supplemented with TB (+TB), or with supplemental AB and TB (+AB+TB) diets, with 10 replicate pens (6 piglets/pen) per diet. At 49 d of age, male pigs from the control and +TB groups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (25 μg/kg BW) or saline ( = 6) and sacrificed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis. There were higher ( < 0.05) feed intake and lower ( < 0.05) percentage of negative growth piglets in the +TB groups than in the control group during the first week after weaning. For piglets without LPS challenge, there were higher ( < 0.05) ileal fibroblast growth factor 19 () mRNA abundance and total bile acid concentrations in the +TB groups than in the control group, whereas downregulated ( < 0.05) expression was observed in the +TB groups after LPS challenge. Lipopolysaccharide challenge in the control group increased ( < 0.05) plasma tumor necrosis factor α and IL-6 concentrations and colonic amount and decreased ( < 0.05) colonic goblet cells and colonic and cecal acetate concentrations, with no differences ( > 0.05) observed between +TB groups following LPS challenge. Taken together, dietary supplementation with TB prevented growth retardation through stimulating the appetite of weaned pigs and protected piglets against lethal infection via modulation of inflammatory cytokines production, ileal expression, and intestinal acetate fermentation.
In this study, we isolated a plant growth-promoting Ochrobactrum with the activity of mitigating Cd toxicity to plant roots. The Ochrobactrum can be considered as a potential bioaugmentation agent that promotes plant growth, especially in some agricultural systems, or that helps in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil.
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