AMINOBUTYRIC ACID PRODUZIDO POR BACTERIAS ACIDO LACTICAS EM ALIMENTOS FERMENTADOS

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a group of microorganisms widely used for the production of fermented foods since they may confer flavor, aroma and texture to the products. In addition, numerous studies show that LAB produce bioactive compounds beneficial to health during the fermentation process, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid ([gamma]-aminobutyric acid, or GABA), which has demonstrated to have antihypertensive, antidepressant, hypoglycemic and relaxing effects, among others. In this review, it was found that Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Streptococcus are the groups of bacteria that have exhibited the most GABA production, as compared to other LAB genera. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that not all LAB strains display a high capacity to produce this compound, because it depends of several factors, such as glutamic-acid decarboxylase enzyme activity, presence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as cofactor, and optimum bacteria growth conditions, as well as the concentration of glutamic acid in the food matrix, as well as fermentation time. On the other hand, cow milk contains a high concentration of glutamic acid; for this reason, various investigations have focused on assessing the GABA production in fermented dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and fermented milk. The antihypertensive effect has been one of the bioactivities most studied in dairy products containing GABA; nevertheless, considering the wide diversity of LAB species, more studies are necessary to put in evidence the potential of these bacteria to produce functional foods with benefits attributable to their GABA content.