A Potent Probiotic Strain from Cheddar Cheese.

A lactic acid bacteria Leuconostoc paramesenteroides
was isolated and characterized from cheddar
cheese and was adapted to grow at low pH (2.0) and high
bile salt concentration (2%) by sequential sub-culturing so
that it can survive the extreme environmental condition of
gut. Cell hydrophobicity assay shows the maximum
adherence of the culture to toluene (46.11%). Adhesion
ability was confirmed by in vitro assay using rat intestinal
epithelial layer. The culture has an antimicrobial activity
against food borne pathogens and is vancomycin sensitive.
The culture shows a b-galactosidase activity of 3.42 lM/
mg protein, which indicates the ability of the culture to
hydrolyze lactose for easy absorption. All these properties
determine the ability of the culture to be used as a
probiotic.
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