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Fulltext Antihypertensive properties of plant-based prebiotics

Yeo SK, Ooi LG, Lim TJ, Liong MT

Int J Mol Sci, 2009 Oct;10(8):3517-30.
PMID: 20111692 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10083517

Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Although various drugs for its treatment have been synthesized, the occurring side effects have generated the need for natural interventions for the treatment and prevention of hypertension. Dietary intervention such as the administration of prebiotics has been seen as a highly acceptable approach. Prebiotics are indigestible food ingredients that bypass digestion and reach the lower gut as substrates for indigenous microflora. Most of the prebiotics used as food adjuncts, such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides, dietary fiber and gums, are derived from plants. Experimental evidence from recent studies has suggested that prebiotics are capable of reducing and preventing hypertension. This paper will discuss some of the mechanisms involved, the evidence generated from both in-vitro experiments and in-vivo trials and some controversial findings that are raised.
Characteristics of Metroxylon sagu resistant starch type III as prebiotic substance

Zi-Ni T, Rosma A, Napisah H, Karim AA, Liong MT

J Food Sci, 2015 Apr;80(4):H875-82.
PMID: 25739421 DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.12817

Resistant starch type III (RS3 ) was produced from sago (Metroxylon sagu) and evaluated for its characteristics as a prebiotic. Two RS3 samples designated sago RS and HCl-sago RS contained 35.71% and 68.30% RS, respectively, were subjected to hydrolyses by gastric juice and digestive enzymes and to absorption. Both sago RS and HCl-sago RS were resistant to 180 min hydrolysis by gastric acidity at pH 1 to 4 with less than 0.85% hydrolyzed. Both samples were also resistant toward hydrolysis by gastrointestinal tract enzymes and intestinal absorption with 96.75% and 98.69% of RS3 were recovered respectively after 3.5 h digestion and overnight dialysis at 37 °C. Sago RS3 supported the growth of both beneficial (lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) and pathogenic microbes (Escherichia coli, Campylobacter coli, and Clostridium perfringens) in the range of 2.60 to 3.91 log10 CFU/mL. Hence, prebiotic activity score was applied to describe the extent to which sago RS3 supports selective growth of the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria strains over pathogenic bacteria. The highest scores were obtained from Bifidobacterium sp. FTDC8943 grown on sago RS (+0.26) and HCl-sago RS (+0.24) followed by L. bulgaricus FTDC1511 grown on sago RS (+0.21). The findings had suggested that sago RS3 has the prebiotic partial characteristics and it is suggested to further assess the suitability of sago RS3 as a prebiotic material.
Probiotics and the BSH-related cholesterol lowering mechanism: a Jekyll and Hyde scenario

Choi SB, Lew LC, Yeo SK, Nair Parvathy S, Liong MT

Crit Rev Biotechnol, 2015;35(3):392-401.
PMID: 24575869 DOI: 10.3109/07388551.2014.889077

Probiotic microorganisms have been documented over the past two decades to play a role in cholesterol-lowering properties via various clinical trials. Several mechanisms have also been proposed and the ability of these microorganisms to deconjugate bile via production of bile salt hydrolase (BSH) has been widely associated with their cholesterol lowering potentials in prevention of hypercholesterolemia. Deconjugated bile salts are more hydrophobic than their conjugated counterparts, thus are less reabsorbed through the intestines resulting in higher excretion into the feces. Replacement of new bile salts from cholesterol as a precursor subsequently leads to decreased serum cholesterol levels. However, some controversies have risen attributed to the activities of deconjugated bile acids that repress the synthesis of bile acids from cholesterol. Deconjugated bile acids have higher binding affinity towards some orphan nuclear receptors namely the farsenoid X receptor (FXR), leading to a suppressed transcription of the enzyme cholesterol 7-alpha hydroxylase (7AH), which is responsible in bile acid synthesis from cholesterol. This notion was further corroborated by our current docking data, which indicated that deconjugated bile acids have higher propensities to bind with the FXR receptor as compared to conjugated bile acids. Bile acids-activated FXR also induces transcription of the IBABP gene, leading to enhanced recycling of bile acids from the intestine back to the liver, which subsequently reduces the need for new bile formation from cholesterol. Possible detrimental effects due to increased deconjugation of bile salts such as malabsorption of lipids, colon carcinogenesis, gallstones formation and altered gut microbial populations, which contribute to other varying gut diseases, were also included in this review. Our current findings and review substantiate the need to look beyond BSH deconjugation as a single factor/mechanism in strain selection for hypercholesterolemia, and/or as a sole mean to justify a cholesterol-lowering property of probiotic strains.
Growth properties and cholesterol removal ability of electroporated Lactobacillus acidophilus BT 1088

Lye HS, Khoo BY, Karim AA, Rusul G, Liong MT

J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2012 Jul;22(7):981-9.
PMID: 22580318

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of electroporation on the cell growth, cholesterol removal, and adherence abilities of L. acidophilus BT 1088 and their subsequent passages. The growth of electroporated parent cells increased (P<0.05) by 4.49-21.25% compared with that of the control. This may be attributed to the alteration of cellular membrane. However, growth of first, second, and third passages of treated cells was comparable with that of the control, which may be attributed to the resealing of transient pores on the cellular membrane. Electroporation also increased (P<0.05) assimilation of cholesterol by treated parent cells (>185.40%) and first passage (>21.72%) compared with that of the control. Meanwhile, incorporation of cholesterol into the cellular membrane was also increased (P<0.05) in the treated parent cells (>108.33%) and first passage (>26.67%), accompanied by increased ratio of cholesterol:phospholipids (C:P) in these passages. Such increased ratio was also supported by increased enrichment of cholesterol in the hydrophilic heads, hydrophobic tails, and the interface regions of the membrane phospholipids of both parent and first passage cells compared with that of the control. However, such traits were not inherited by the subsequent second and third passages. Parent cells also showed decreased intestinal adherence ability (P<0.05; decreased by 1.45%) compared with that of the control, without inheritance by subsequent passages of treated cells. Our data suggest that electoporation could be a potential physical treatment to enhance the cholesterol removal ability of lactobacilli that was inherited by the first passage of treated cells without affecting their intestinal adherence ability.
Development of a probiotic delivery system from agrowastes, soy protein isolate, and microbial transglutaminase

Yew SE, Lim TJ, Lew LC, Bhat R, Mat-Easa A, Liong MT

J Food Sci, 2011 Apr;76(3):H108-15.
PMID: 21535834 DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02107.x

Probiotic delivery system was developed via the use of microbial transglutaminase (MTG) cross-linked soy protein isolate (SPI) incorporated with agrowastes such as banana peel (BE), banana pulp (BU), and pomelo rind (PR). Inoculums of Lactobacillus bulgaricus FTDC 1511 were added to the cross-linked protein matrix. The incorporation of agrowastes had significantly (P<0.05) reduced the strength, pH value, and the lightness of the SPI gel carriers, while sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profiles revealed that the occurring cross-links within the SPI gel carriers were attributed to the addition of MTG. Scanning electron microscope micrographs illustrated that SPI carriers containing agrowastes have exhibited a less-dense protein matrix. All the SPI carriers possessed maximum swelling ratio at 4 to 4.5 within 15 min in simulated gastric fluid (SGF), whereas the maximum swelling ratios of SPI/BE, SPI/BU, and SPI/PR were higher compared to that of control in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). Additionally, SPI carriers in SGF medium did not show degradation of structure, whereas a major collapse of network was observed in SIF medium, indicating controlled-release in the intestines. The addition of agrowastes into SPI carriers led to a significantly (P<0.0001) lower release of L. bulgaricus FTDC 1511 in SGF medium and a higher release in SIF medium, compared to that of the control. SPI carriers containing agrowastes may be useful transports for living probiotic cells through the stomach prior to delivery in the lower intestines.
Enhanced growth of lactobacilli and bioconversion of isoflavones in biotin-supplemented soymilk upon ultrasound-treatment

Ewe JA, Wan Abdullah WN, Bhat R, Karim AA, Liong MT

Ultrason Sonochem, 2012 Jan;19(1):160-73.
PMID: 21775184 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2011.06.013

This study aimed at utilizing ultrasound treatment to further enhance the growth of lactobacilli and their isoflavone bioconversion activities in biotin-supplemented soymilk. Strains of lactobacilli (Lactobacillus acidophilus BT 1088, L. fermentum BT 8219, L. acidophilus FTDC 8633, L. gasseri FTDC 8131) were treated with ultrasound (30 kHz, 100 W) at different amplitudes (20%, 60% and 100%) for 60, 120 and 180 s prior to inoculation and fermentation in biotin-soymilk. The treatment affected the fatty acids chain of the cellular membrane lipid bilayer, as shown by an increased lipid peroxidation (P<0.05). This led to increased membrane fluidity and subsequently, membrane permeability (P<0.05). The permeabilized cellular membranes had facilitated nutrient internalization and subsequent growth enhancement (P<0.05). Higher amplitudes and longer durations of the treatment promoted growth of lactobacilli in soymilk, with viable counts exceeding 9 log CFU/mL. The intracellular and extracellular β-glucosidase specific activities of lactobacilli were also enhanced (P<0.05) upon ultrasound treatment, leading to increased bioconversion of isoflavones in soymilk, particularly genistin and malonyl genistin to genistein. Results from this study show that ultrasound treatment on lactobacilli cells promotes (P<0.05) the β-glucosidase activity of cells for the benefit of enhanced (P<0.05) isoflavone glucosides bioconversion to bioactive aglycones in soymilk.
Fulltext The improvement of hypertension by probiotics: effects on cholesterol, diabetes, renin, and phytoestrogens

Lye HS, Kuan CY, Ewe JA, Fung WY, Liong MT

Int J Mol Sci, 2009 Sep;10(9):3755-75.
PMID: 19865517 DOI: 10.3390/ijms10093755

Probiotics are live organisms that are primarily used to improve gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, lactose intolerance, and to inhibit the excessive proliferation of pathogenic intestinal bacteria. However, recent studies have suggested that probiotics could have beneficial effects beyond gastrointestinal health, as they were found to improve certain metabolic disorders such as hypertension. Hypertension is caused by various factors and the predominant causes include an increase in cholesterol levels, incidence of diabetes, inconsistent modulation of renin and imbalanced sexual hormones. This review discusses the antihypertensive roles of probiotics via the improvement and/or treatment of lipid profiles, modulation of insulin resistance and sensitivity, the modulation of renin levels and also the conversion of bioactive phytoestrogens as an alternative replacement of sexual hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.
Development and validation of a Chinese translated questionnaire: A single simultaneous tool for assessing gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract related illnesses in pre-school children

Lau ASY, Yusoff MSB, Lee YY, Choi SB, Xiao JZ, Liong MT

J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2018 Apr;13(2):135-141.
PMID: 31435316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2017.11.003

Objectives: Children are prone to contagious illnesses that come from peers in nurseries, kindergartens, and day care centres. The administration of probiotics has been reported to decrease the episodes of such illnesses, leading to decreased absences and consumption of antibiotics. With less emphasis on, and preferences for, blood collection from young subjects, quantifiable data are merely obtained from surveys and questionnaires. Malaysia has a population which is 25% ethnic Chinese. We aimed to develop a single tool that enables simultaneous assessments of both gastrointestinal and respiratory tract-related illnesses among young Chinese children.
Methods: The English-language validated questionnaires using data about demographics and monthly health records were translated into the Chinese language. Both forward and backward translated versions were validated.
Results: The developed demographic and monthly health questionnaires showed an overall item-level content validity index (I-CVI) of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively; while the translated Chinese versions showed I-CVI of 0.97 and 0.98, respectively. Item-level of response process validity index of 1.00 for this questionnaire was obtained from 30 respondents inferring that the items were clear and comprehensible.
Conclusions: This study showed acceptable levels validity in the Chinese translated version, illustrating a valid and reliable tool to be used for simultaneous assessment of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract-related illnesses in young children that is applicable for Malaysia's Chinese population and other Chinese-speaking nations.
Probiotic consumption relieved human stress and anxiety symptoms possibly via modulating the neuroactive potential of the gut microbiota

Ma T, Jin H, Kwok LY, Sun Z, Liong MT, Zhang H

Neurobiol Stress, 2021 May;14:100294.
PMID: 33511258 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100294

Stress has been shown to disturb the balance of human intestinal microbiota and subsequently causes mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Our previous study showed that ingesting the probiotic strain, Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum P-8, for 12 weeks could alleviate stress and anxiety of stressed adults. The current study was a follow-up work aiming to investigate the functional role of the gut metagenomes in the observed beneficial effects. The fecal metagenomes of the probiotic (n = 43) and placebo (n = 36) receivers were analyzed in depth. The gut microbiomes of the placebo group at weeks 0 and 12 showed a significantly greater Aitchison distance (P
Molecular evolutionary and 3D protein structural analyses of Lactobacillus fermentum elongation factor Tu, a novel brain health promoting factor

Ong JS, Liu YW, Liong MT, Choi SB, Tsai YC, Low WY

Genomics, 2020 11;112(6):3915-3924.
PMID: 32629096 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.06.052

The role of microbiota in gut-brain communication has led to the development of probiotics promoting brain health. Here we report a genomic study of a Lactobacillus fermentum PS150 and its patented bioactive protein, elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), which is associated with cognitive improvement in rats. The L. fermentum PS150 circular chromosome is 2,238,401 bp and it consists of 2281 genes. Chromosome comparisons with other L. fermentum strains highlighted a cluster of glycosyltransferases as potential candidate probiotic factors besides EF-Tu. Molecular evolutionary analyses on EF-Tu genes (tuf) in 235 bacteria species revealed one to three copies of the gene per genome. Seven tuf pseudogenes were found and three species only possessed pseudogenes, which is an unprecedented finding. Protein variability analysis of EF-Tu showed five highly variable residues (40 K, 41G, 42 L, 44 K, and 46E) on the protein surface, which warrant further investigation regarding their potential roles as binding sites.
Fulltext Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 Reduces Cholesterol via Phosphorylation of AMPK That Down-regulated the mRNA Expression of HMG-CoA Reductase

Lew LC, Choi SB, Khoo BY, Sreenivasan S, Ong KL, Liong MT

Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour, 2018 Apr;38(2):350-361.
PMID: 29805284 DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2018.38.2.350

Hypercholesterolemia is one of the primary risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The use of lactobacilli probiotics to reduce blood cholesterol levels have been extensively reported. However, more information is needed to evaluate the possible mechanisms involved and to identify possible targets for further therapeutic development. In this study, strains of lactobacilli were screened based on the ability to assimilate cholesterol, and prevention of cholesterol accumulation in hepatic (HepG2) and intestinal (HT-29) cells. Cell free supernatant (CFS) from Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 showed a higher ability to assimilate cholesterol, reduction in cholesterol accumulation in both HepG2 and HT-29 cells, accompanied by reduced mRNA expression of HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) in HepG2 (p<0.05), compared to other lactobacilli. The reduction of HMGCR expression was also diminished in the presence of an AMPK inhibitor (Compound C), suggesting that L. plantarum DR7 exerted its effect via the AMPK pathway, typically via the phosphorylation of AMPK instead of the AMPK mRNA expression in HepG2 (p<0.05). Altogether, our present study illustrated that lactobacilli could exert cholesterol lowering properties along the AMPK pathway, specifically via phosphorylation of AMPK that led to reduced expression of HMGCR.
El Niño Altered Gut Microbiota of Children: A New Insight on Weather-Gut Interactions and Protective Effects of Probiotic

Lau ASY, Mitsuyama E, Odamaki T, Xiao JZ, Liong MT

J Med Food, 2019 Mar;22(3):230-240.
PMID: 30183458 DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2018.4276

Changes in weather often trigger a myriad of negative impacts on the environment, which eventually affect human health. During the early months of 2016, Malaysia experienced El Niño, with an extremely dry season of almost zero rainfall. At the same time, an increase of more than twofold in fecal secretary immunoglobulin-A (SIgA) levels of healthy preschool children aged 2-6 years was observed, accompanied by an increase in phylum Bacteroidetes, predominantly attributed to genus Bacteroides and Odoribacter, which also positively correlated with fecal SIgA levels. Here, we present evidence to illustrate the detrimental effects of weather change on a microscopic "environment," the human gut ecosystem. We also discuss the protective effects of probiotic against dysbiosis as induced by weather change. The increase in Bacteroidetes was at an expense of decreased genus Faecalibacterium and Veillonella (phylum Firmicutes), whereas children consuming probiotic had a decrease in genus Collinsella, Atopobium, and Eggerthella (phylum Actinobacteria) instead.
Lactobacillus probiotics improved the gut microbiota profile of a Drosophila melanogaster Alzheimer's disease model and alleviated neurodegeneration in the eye

Tan FHP, Liu G, Lau SA, Jaafar MH, Park YH, Azzam G, et al.

Benef Microbes, 2020 Feb 19;11(1):79-89.
PMID: 32066253 DOI: 10.3920/BM2019.0086

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive disease and one of the most common forms of neurodegenerative disorders. Emerging evidence is supporting the use of various strategies that modulate gut microbiota to exert neurological and psychological changes. This includes the utilisation of probiotics as a natural and dietary intervention for brain health. Here, we showed the potential AD-reversal effects of Lactobacillus probiotics through feeding to our Drosophila melanogaster AD model. The administration of Lactobacillus strains was able to rescue the rough eye phenotype (REP) seen in AD-induced Drosophila, with a more prominent effect observed upon the administration of Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 (DR7). Furthermore, we analysed the gut microbiota of the AD-induced Drosophila and found elevated levels of Wolbachia. The administration of DR7 restored the gut microbiota diversity of AD-induced Drosophila with a significant reduction in Wolbachia's relative abundance, accompanied by an increase of Stenotrophomonas and Acetobacter. Through functional predictive analyses, Wolbachia was predicted to be positively correlated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, while Stenotrophomonas was negatively correlated with these neurodegenerative disorders. Altogether, our data exhibited DR7's ability to ameliorate the AD effects in our AD-induced Drosophila. Thus, we propose that Wolbachia be used as a potential biomarker for AD.
Lactobacillus paracasei PS23 reduced early-life stress abnormalities in maternal separation mouse model

Liao JF, Hsu CC, Chou GT, Hsu JS, Liong MT, Tsai YC

Benef Microbes, 2019 Apr 19;10(4):425-436.
PMID: 30882243 DOI: 10.3920/BM2018.0077

Maternal separation (MS) has been developed as a model for inducing stress and depression in studies using rodents. The concept of the gut-brain axis suggests that gut health is essential for brain health. Here, we present the effects of administration of a probiotic, Lactobacillus paracasei PS23 (PS23), to MS mice against psychological traits including anxiety and depression. The administration of live and heat-killed PS23 cells showed positive behavioural effects on MS animals, where exploratory tendencies and mobility were increased in behavioural tests, indicating reduced anxiety and depression compared to the negative control mice (P<0.05). Mice administered with both live and heat-killed PS23 cells also showed lower serum corticosterone levels accompanied by higher serum anti-inflammatory interleukin 10 (IL-10) levels, compared to MS separated mice (P<0.05), indicating a stress-elicited response affiliated with increased immunomodulatory properties. Assessment of neurotransmitters in the brain hippocampal region revealed that PS23 affected the concentrations of dopaminergic metabolites differently than the control, suggesting that PS23 may have improved MS-induced stress levels via neurotransmitter pathways, such as dopamine or other mechanisms not addressed in the current study. Our study illustrates the potential of a probiotic in reversing abnormalities induced by early life stress and could be an alternative for brain health along the gut-brain axis.
Putative Probiotic Strains Isolated from Kefir Improve Gastrointestinal Health Parameters in Adults: a Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Wang MC, Zaydi AI, Lin WH, Lin JS, Liong MT, Wu JJ

Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins, 2020 09;12(3):840-850.
PMID: 31749128 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-019-09615-9

The dairy products remain as the largest reservoir for isolation of probiotic microorganisms. While probiotics have been immensely reported to exert various health benefits, it is also a common notion that these health potentials are strain and host dependent, leading to the need of more human evidence based on specific strains, health targets, and populations. This randomized, single-blind, and placebo-controlled human study aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of putative probiotic strains isolated from kefir on gastrointestinal parameters in fifty-six healthy adults. The consumption of AB-kefir (Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. fermentum, L. helveticus, L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus, and Streptococcus thermophiles; total 10 log CFU/sachet) daily for 3 week reduced symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating (P = 0.014), and appetite (P = 0.041) in male subjects as compared to the control. Gut microbiota distribution profiles were shifted upon consumption of AB-kefir compared to baseline, where the abundance of bifidobacteria was increased in male subjects and maintained upon cessation of AB-kefir consumption. The consumption of AB-kefir also increased gastrointestinal abundance of total anaerobes (P = 0.038) and total bacterial (P = 0.049) in female subjects compared to the control after 3 weeks. Our results indicated that AB-kefir could potentially be developed as a natural strategy to improve gastrointestinal functions in adults.
Lactic acid bacteria feeding reversed the malformed eye structures and ameliorated gut microbiota profiles of Drosophila melanogaster Alzheimer's disease model

Liu G, Tan FH, Lau SA, Jaafar MH, Chung FY, Azzam G, et al.

J Appl Microbiol, 2020 Jul 08.
PMID: 32640111 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14773

AIMS: To utilize transgenic GMR-Aβ42 Drosophila melanogaster as a model to evaluate potential Alzheimer's disease (AD)-reversal effects via the administration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, and associations of LAB with changes in gut microbiota profiles.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Wild-type flies (Oregon-R) were crossed with glass multimer reporter-GAL4 (GMR-GAL4) to produce GMR-OreR (Control), while UAS-Aβ42 (#33769) were crossed with GMR-GAL4 to produce transgenic Drosophila line that expressed Aβ42 (GMR-Aβ42). Feed containing seven different LAB strains (Lactobacillus paracasei 0291, Lactobacillus helveticus 1515, Lactobacillus reuteri 30242, L. reuteri 8513d, Lactobacillus fermentum 8312, Lactobacillus casei Y, Lactobacillus sakei Probio65) were given to GMR-Aβ42 respectively, while feed without LAB strains were given to control and transgenic GMR-Aβ42.nf Drosophila lines. The morphology of the eyes was viewed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The changes in gut microbiota profiles associated with LAB were analysed using 16s high throughput sequencing. Malformation of eye structures in transgenic GMR-Aβ42 Drosophila were reversed upon the administration of LAB strains, with more prevalent effects from L. sakei Probio65 and L. paracasei 0291. The GMR-Aβ42.nf group showed dominance of Wolbachia in the gut, a genus that was almost absent in the normal control group (P
Floricoccus tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree and hibiscus

Chuah LO, Yap KP, Shamila-Syuhada AK, Thong KL, Ahmad R, Liong MT, et al.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2017 Dec;67(12):4979-4985.
PMID: 29034853 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002386

Three strains of Gram-staining-positive, coccus-shaped, lactic acid bacteria, designated as HibF3T, HibF2 and HibF5 were isolated from fresh flowers of hibiscus, and a fourth, DF1T, was isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree, in Penang, Malaysia. Taxonomic characterisation was performed by polyphasic analysis. Sequence similarities of the 16S rRNA gene and the housekeeping rpoA and pheS genes of these strains with their closely-related lactococcal and streptococcal relatives were 92-94, 78 and 81 %, respectively. The results of phylogenetic analysis indicated that strains DF1T, HibF2, HibF5 and HibF3T were clustered together but were clearly separated from species of the genera Streptococcus and Lactococcus, indicating that they represent members of a novel genus of the family Streptococcaceae. Calculation of average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the genomes of DF1T and HibF3T yielded values of 92.50-92.93 %. ANI values below the cut-off value and distinctive chemotaxonomic characteristics supported the hypothesis that these strains represented two novel species. Major cellular fatty acids in DF1T, HibF2 and HibF5 were C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0, while C12 : 0 and C14 : 0 were also dominant, in addition to C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0, in HibF3T. A novel genus is proposed with the name Floricoccus gen. nov. which consists of two species, Floricoccus tropicus sp. nov as the type species, and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. The respective type strains are DF1T (=LMG 29833T=JCM 31733T) and HibF3T (=LMG 29831T=DSM 31735T).
Corrigendum: Floricoccus tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree and hibiscus

Chuah LO, Yap KP, Shamila-Syuhada AK, Thong KL, Ahmad R, Liong MT, et al.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2018 03;68(3):974.
PMID: 29493487 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002582
Beneficial features of pediococcus: from starter cultures and inhibitory activities to probiotic benefits

Todorov SD, Dioso CM, Liong MT, Nero LA, Khosravi-Darani K, Ivanova IV

World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2022 Nov 08;39(1):4.
PMID: 36344843 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03419-w

Pediococci are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which have been used for centuries in the production of traditional fermented foods. There fermentative abilities were explored by the modern food processing industry in use of pediococci as starter cultures, enabling the production of fermented foods with distinct characteristics. Furthermore, some pediococci strains can produce bacteriocins and other antimicrobial metabolites (AMM), such as pediocins, which are increasingly being explored as bio-preservatives in various food matrices. Due to their versatility and inhibitory spectrum, pediococci bacteriocins and AMM are being extensively researched not only in the food industry, but also in veterinary and human medicine. Some of the pediococci were evaluated as potential probiotics with different beneficial areas of application associated with human and other animals' health. The main taxonomic characteristics of pediococci species are presented here, as well as and their potential roles and applications as starter cultures, as bio-preservatives and as probiotic candidates.
Physio-chemical, microbiological properties of tempoyak and molecular characterisation of lactic acid bacteria isolated from tempoyak

Chuah LO, Shamila-Syuhada AK, Liong MT, Rosma A, Thong KL, Rusul G

Food Microbiol, 2016 Sep;58:95-104.
PMID: 27217364 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2016.04.002

This study aims to determine physio-chemical properties of tempoyak, characterise the various indigenous species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present at different stages of fermentation and also to determine the survival of selected foodborne pathogens in tempoyak. The predominant microorganisms present in tempoyak were LAB (8.88-10.42 log CFU/g). Fructobacillus durionis and Lactobacillus plantarum were the dominant members of LAB. Other LAB species detected for the first time in tempoyak were a fructophilic strain of Lactobacillus fructivorans, Leuconostoc dextranicum, Lactobacillus collinoides and Lactobacillus paracasei. Heterofermentative Leuconostoc mesenteroides and F. durionis were predominant in the initial stage of fermentation, and as fermentation proceeded, F. durionis remained predominant, but towards the end of fermentation, homofermentative Lb. plantarum became the predominant species. Lactic, acetic and propionic acids were present in concentrations ranging from 0.30 to 9.65, 0.51 to 7.14 and 3.90 to 7.31 mg/g, respectively. Genotyping showed a high degree of diversity among F. durionis and Lb. plantarum isolates, suggesting different sources of LAB. All tested Lb. plantarum and F. durionis (except for one isolate) isolates were multidrug resistant. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected. However, survival study showed that these pathogens could survive up to 8-12 days. The results aiming at improving the quality and safety of tempoyak.

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