Exopolysaccharide-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria – Health-Promoting Properties And Application In The Dairy Industry

Abstract

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are one of the classes of extracellular biopolymers synthesized by bacteria. Some strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used in the dairy industry are able to synthesize EPS (EPS(+) strains). EPS may be secreted by a cell in the form of capsule or slime. Our review describes the factors influencing the activity of EPS production by LAB, the impact of the use of EPS(+) strains on the quality of fermented milk products (yoghurt, cheeses, etc.) and pro-health properties of EPS produced by LAB. The capability to synthesize EPS by LAB depends on many factors, e.g., affiliation to species and characteristics of strain, growth stage, composition of culture medium (type of carbon and nitrogen sources, and presence of other nutrients), temperature, pH, and presence of adjuvant microflora. The presence of EPS synthesized by LAB strains has a significant effect on changes in various properties of dairy products, including: yoghurt, kefir and many other fermented milk drinks, sour cream and cheeses. The EPS act as thickening, emulsifying and gelling agents, hence the use of EPS(+) strains may become a certain alternative to the use of thickeners in, e.g., fermented milks. During formation of a casein milk curd, EPS are able to bind water and thus reduce syneresis. The high water holding capacity of EPS has a positive effect on increasing viscosity and improving texture of low-fat cheeses. EPS are claimed to have health-promoting properties, like: anticarcinogenic, antioxidative, immunomodulatory and reducing blood cholesterol. 1. Wstęp. 2. Ogólna charakterystyka egzopolisacharydów. 3. Czynniki wpływające na wytwarzanie egzopolisacharydów przez bakterie kwasu mlekowego. 4. Wpływ egzopolisacharydów na jakość fermentowanych produktów mlecznych. 4.1. Wpływ EPS na jakość jogurtów. 4.2. Wpływ EPS na jakość innych fermentowanych napojów mlecznych. 4.3. Wpływ EPS na jakość serów. 5. Zdrowotne właściwości egzopolisacharydów. 6. Podsumowanie

Brazilian artisanal cheeses are rich and diverse sources of nonstarter lactic acid bacteria regarding technological, biopreservative, and safety properties—Insights through multivariate analysis

“…In the case of isolates that showed high or good EPS formation from lactose, they can be used alone or in combination with starter cultures for the production of dairy fermented products, improving rheology and texture, in addition to contributing to their functional properties. A number of studies regarding EPS (+)-producing LAB indicated improvement of aroma, texture, and consistency of cheeses, particularly lowfat cheeses (light), due to retention of water molecules during clot formation, reducing water activity (a w ), and consequently, syneresis (Schmid et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015;Ayyash et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018;Berthold-Pluta et al, 2019). The EPS production by these LAB isolates can also represent an alternative to increase efficiency and yield on cheese production, drawing industries attention to cheaper, more natural, and more sustainable biopolymers, which also have regional characteristics, indicating Serrano (South) and Minas artisanal cheeses from Canastra and Campo das Vertentes microregions (Southeast) as the primary sources of EPS(+)-producing LAB from lactose (Figure 3).…”

Exopolysaccharides Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria: From Biosynthesis to Health-Promoting Properties

“…Lowering the pH during the fermentation process of yoghourt can lead to syneresis resulting from destabilisation of casein micelles. In situ production of EPS has been used to overcome this problem, as it leads to better rheological properties than when EPS is added as one of the components [ 92 , 123 ]. The starter cultures used for yoghourt production, Lactobacillus delbruecki subsp.…”

Diverse Bioactive Molecules from the Genus Lactobacillus

“…Exopolysaccharides (EPs) are high-molecular, long-chain linear biopolymers containing side chains of homopolysaccharide or heteropolysaccharide carbohydrate units linked with α-glycosidic and β-glycosidic bonds [98]. The enzymes such as glycosyltransferase and glycoside hydrolase convert the sugar nucleotide precursors into EPs.…”