Characterization of Cholesterol Lowering Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Palm Wine and Maize Beer and Assessment of Their Use in the Production of Probiotic Papaya Juice

Elevated serum cholesterol is a main risk factor for heart disorders. Most probiotic products administered to lower cholesterol are dairy products which are not suitable for lactose-intolerant individuals. In this study, we assessed the cholesterol-lowering efficacy of LAB isolated from traditionally fermented drinks in dietinduced rats and determine their efficacy in the production of non-dairy, probiotic formulations using papaya juice. LAB were isolated from palm wine and corn beer on MRS agar using a pour-plate technique. Identification was carried out using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A hypercholesterolemia model in which diet-induced Wistar albino rats were assigned into four groups was established. Oral gavage was carried out for 30 days. On the 31st day, the rats were dissected and the serum lipid profile was analyzed using biochemical kits. A 106 cfu/ml of a 24-h-old culture of selected lactobacilli was used to inoculate papaya juice and incubated at 37℃. Microbial and chemical changes were assessed during papaya fermentation and after four weeks of cold storage. Two selected isolates (Pw1 and Cb4) had in vitro cholesterol reduction of > 80%. These two isolates lowered lipid profile (triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-c) significantly, and increased HDL-c levels (p < 0.5) in the rat sera. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Pw1 was 98.86% similar to Limosilactobacillus fermentum, while Cb4 was 99.54% similar to Enteroccocus faecium. Both strains fermented papaya juice with cell viability reaching 8.92 × 108 cfu/ml and 25.3 × 108 cfu/ml respectively, and were still viable after 4 weeks of cold storage. KCI Citation Count: 0