Articles

Molecular Markers of Bifidus Bacteria Biological Activity as Components of Functional Nutrition

Authors:

Yulia V. Zakharova, Larisa Yu. Otdushkina, Tatyana V. Kotova, Andrey S. Sukhikh, Yulia S. Fedorova, Olga M. Soboleva

Abstract:

The research subject is the structural and functional properties of probiotic bifidobacteria. The aim of the study is to determine the molecular structures of bifidobacteria isolated from functional products that cause probiotic activity in interaction with the intestinal mucosa. A man used the probiotic strains of bifidobacteria – B. bifidum 1, B. longum B 379 M and B. breve in the research. The authors analyzed hydrophobicity and autoaggregation of cultures. They isolated fatty acids, determined their composition by gas chromatography using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) (manufacturer: “Chromatek”). The researchers used the method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on the Asahipak GS-220 HQ column to study the bifidobacteria exopolymers composition. A man found high hydrophobicity of B. bifidum 1 and B. longum B 379 M (78.0 and 62.0%, respectively) and low hydrophobicity of B. breve (32.0%). The high hydrophobicity is due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, the largest proportion of which is in B. bifidum 1 (30.4 %) and B. breve (25.3%), as well as long-chain fatty acids and acids with a branched carbon skeleton (χ2 = 22.5; df = 4; p = 0.05). All strains produced exopolysaccharides consisting of carbohydrates and proteins in a ratio of 5 : 1. The carbohydrate part of the exopolymers consisted of glucose and galactose in the ratio of 3 : 2. Protein-peptide components of exopolysaccharides had conformational differences, which indicates differences in autoaggregation. Autoaggregation was: B. bifidum 1 – 43 %; B. longum B 379 M – 45 %; B. breve – 39 %. Unsaturated and branched fatty acids of lipoteichoic acids, as well as exopolysaccharides are biological activity markers of the effective interaction of probiotic strains and intestinal mucosa. The results can be used to evaluate the functional products quality and safety.

Keywords:

bifidobacteria; fatty acids; exopolysaccharides; biological activity; functional product; microbiota

For citation:

Yulia V. Zakharova, Larisa Yu. Otdushkina, Tatyana V. Kotova, Andrey S. Sukhikh, Yulia S. Fedorova, Olga M. Soboleva. Molecular Markers of Bifidus Bacteria Biological Activity as Components of Functional Nutrition. Индустрия питания|Food Industry. 2021. Vol. 6, No. 2. Pp. 7–15. DOI: 10.29141/2500-1922-2021-6-2-1