Techno-functional differentiation of two vitamin B 12 producing Lactobacillus plantarum strains: an elucidation for diverse future use

An appropriate selection of Lactobacillus strain (probiotic/starter/functional) on the basis of its techno-functional characteristics is required before developing a novel fermented functional food. We compared vitamin B (B , cobalamin) producing Lactobacillus plantarum isolates, BHM10 and BCF20, for functional (vitamin over-production, genomic insight to B structural genes, and probiotic attributes) and technological [milks (skim and soy) fermentation and B bio-fortification] characteristics. Addition of B precursors (5-amonolevulinate and dimethylbenzimidazole) to cobalamin-free fermentation medium increased vitamin production in BHM10, BCF20, and DSM20016 (a positive standard) by 3.4-, 4.4-, and 3.86-folds, respectively. Three important B structural genes were detected in L. plantarum species (strains BHM10 and BCF20) by PCR for the first time. The gene sequences were submitted to NCBI GenBank and found phylogenetically closer to respective sequences in B producing Lactobacillus reuteri strains. During comparative probiotic testing, BCF20 showed significantly higher (p