Bioactive compounds of probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from cucumber jangajji

The bioactive compounds and probiotic properties of three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from cucumber jangajji were investigated. The beta-glucan contents of S. cerevisiae KU200270, KU200280, and KU200284 were 4.09%, 7.45%, and 13.97%, respectively, and the glutathione contents of the strains were in the range of 3.19-6.03 mg/g dry cells. The L-omithine and spermidine contents were 2.98-4.29 and 4.29-4.55 mg/g dry cells, respectively. All strains showed the ability to protect DNA from oxidative damage. The S. cerevisiae strains were highly resistant to both artificial gastric and bile juices. The epithelial cell adhesion of S. cerevisiae KU200284 was the highest at 16.38%, while that of the other strains was > 5%. The S. cerevisiae strains produced esterase, leucine arylamidase, acid phosphatase, and alpha-glucosidase and showed no toxicity toward MRC-5 cells. These results suggest that the isolated S. cerevisiae strains have potential as probiotics and can be used starter cultures for functional foods.