Screening and identification of potential probiotic bacteria with cholesterol-lowering property from fermented food products

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The use of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from fermented food products with cholesterol-lowering abilities has emerged as a promising dietary strategy for its management. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SM14-2STR and Weissella cibaria SE8-2STR were screened and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and were selected for assessment of their probiotic and safety properties, with a focus on their potential antimicrobial activity. Both LAB strains exhibited probiotic potential, sensitivity to multiple antibiotics and ?-hemolytic activity. Moreover, the two selected strains demonstrated remarkable bacteriostatic activity against various pathogenic bacteria (6 out of 9 pathogenic strains) and were capable of surviving under high bile salt concentration (0.3–1%) and low pH conditions (2.0–3.0). L. plantarum SM14-2STR significantly exhibited high cell surface hydrophobicity (~74%) and strong auto-aggregation abilities (~61%). It effectively inhibited the adhesion of Proteus mirabilis DMST 8212 (~60%), whereas W. cibaria SE8-2STR interfered with the growth of Salmonella enterica ATCC 13312 (~61%). Notably, L. plantarum SM14-4STR (84.07±0.89%) and W. cibaria SE8-2STR (39.24±1.19%) significantly showed the highest cholesterol and triglyceride removal capacity in culture media containing 0.3% bile salt (p≤0.05), and both strains exhibited bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity towards sodium taurocholate. L. plantarum SM14-2STR also significantly inhibited cholesterol uptake in colon epithelial cells by 28.44±0.28%, followed by L. plantarum SM16-4STR at 25.95±0.58% (p≤0.05). These findings indicated that LAB strains derived from fermented meat and Isan sausage may serve as promising probiotics with cholesterol-lowering potential, suitable for applications in the food and health industries.