In vitro probiotic potentials of Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from infant feces

Aim. Probiotics are live microorganisms, which upon ingestion in sufficient numbers, exert health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Probiotics have been widely used to promote the health, growth and well-being of animals and humans. However, no single probiotic is multi-tasking and thus searching for alternative putative probiotic strains is crucial. The aim of the present study was to determine the probiotic potentials of five Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from infant feces. Methods. The in vitro studies on gastric and small intestinal transit tolerance, bile tolerance and cell surface hydrophobicity were performed to ascertain the potentials of these strains. Results. All five Lb. plantarum strains demonstrated high tolerance to the simulated gastric transit with no reduction in cell viability. Although all tested strains were slightly sensitive to the simulated small intestinal transit and bile salt concentrations of 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0% (w/v), most of the strains were able to maintain their cell viability of more than 6 Logo CFU/mL. In the cell adherence assay, strains SH9 and SH13 exhibited high cell surface hydrophobicity of 83.74% and 51.77% respectively. Conclusion. The current findings showed that the tested Lb. plantarum strains could be used as putative probiotics with different degree of probiotic potentials.