Prebiotic Efficiency of Blue Green Algae on Probiotics Microorganisms

Abstract

Blue green algae also called cyanobacteria are considered to be the photosynthetic prokaryotes. Their similarities with both higher plants and simple bacteria have made them ideal model systems for intensive research in varied spheres of biology. Their role in nitrogen fixation is well known but their role as prebiotics to support the growth of probiotic bacteria is an upcoming field of study. Prebiotics includes indigestible carbohydrates mainly oligosaccharides that benefit the host organism by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of one or a limited number of probiotic bacteria in the colon. Spirulina, a cyanobacterium is a photoautotrophic microorganism, widely distributed in nature and is consumed as human food supplement for centuries because of its best known nutritional value. It contains 78% proteins, vitamins, 4-7% lipids, minerals, carbohydrates and some natural pigments. Due to the presence of these phytonutrients, it has corrective properties against several diseases like cancer, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, anaemia etc. Research studies have reported that the extracellular products produced by Spirulina platensis significantly promotes the growth of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The present paper would focus on the prebiotic efficiency of certain blue green algae on probiotic microorganisms.

Potential Industrial Applications and Commercialization of Microalgae in the Functional Food and Feed Industries: A Short Review

“…Previous studies have shown that Arthrospira platensis has a positive effect upon viability of such bacteria as Lactobacillus casei , Streptococcus thermophilus , Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacteria when part of the intestinal flora [18,143,152,153,154], while such pathogenic bacteria as Proteus vulgaris , Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumulis have been suppressed during in vitro studies. When added to yoghurt, Spirulina sp.…”

“…promoted growth of L. acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, while Isochrysis galbana , characterized by high concentrations of both soluble and insoluble fibers, appears promising as a prebiotic. This was concluded from the increase in the number of lactic acid bacteria in the feces of rats, when previously treated with the said microalgae [18,38,52,143].…”

“…Unfortunately, commercial use has faced hardships as per the high production costs pertaining to concentration and storage [17]. Additionally, industrial use of microalgae as prebiotics in feed formulation has faced several challenges and novel or improved processing techniques are still required to lower production costs [18].…”

Pengaruh perbedaan lama waktu pemberian Spirulina platensis dalam ransum terhadap profil darah merah ayam Broiler

“…Prebiotik bersifat menstimulasi pertumbuhan mikroba nonpatogenik pada saluran pencernaan sehingga diharapkan penyerapan nutrisi oleh saluran pencernaan menjadi lebih baik dan produktivitas menjadi optimal (Haryati, 2011). Salah satu bahan yang berpotesi sebagai prebiotik yaitu Spirulina platensis (Gupta et al, 2017).…”

“…platensis memiliki kandungan oligosakarida berupa mannosa dan rhamnosa yang diketahui dapat menstimulasi pertumbuhan mikroba nonpatogenik (Gupta et al, 2017). Bhowmik et al (2009) (Jamil et al, 2015).…”