Application of high-GABA producing Lactobacillusplantarum isolated from traditional cabbage pickle in the production of functional fermented whey-based formulate

In this study, a fermented whey-based formulate with enhanced levels of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) was produced by using a selected lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional cabbage pickle. 16S rRNA gene sequencing resulted in identification of high GABA-producing isolate as Lactobacillus plantarum which was used as single or co-culture with Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis (a proteolytic strain from the microbial bank). The isolated L . plantarum showed higher proteolytic, acidification and GABA-producing activity in cheese whey compared to Lc . lactis Subsp. lactis . However, the highest concentration of GABA (365.6 mg/100 mL) was found in the samples fermented using co-cultures of these strains. Moreover, addition of soy protein hydrolysate (SPH) to whey resulted in a significant enhancement in GABA concentration in the final product upon fermentation. Moreover, in the co-cultured sample containing higher amount of SPH, the lower fermentation time was observed. The results of this study showed that L . plantarum isolated from cabbage pickle is a good candidate to be used as p starter culture to manufacture a novel functional whey formulate enriched with GABA.