article · BMC Microbiology
Postbiotics produced from mixed probiotic fermentations combining specific strains of Lacticaseibacillus, Lactiplantibacillus, and Bifidobacterium yield substantial amounts of functional compounds. Laboratory evaluation of the freeze-dried metabolites showed significant concentrations of exopolysaccharides, B-vitamins, diverse fatty acids, and amino acids. Functional testing revealed notable biological properties, including substantial free radical scavenging capacity and effective inhibition of key carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase. Furthermore, the material exhibited antibacterial action against foodborne pathogens, completely inhibiting Bacillus cereus at low concentrations while requiring higher doses to suppress Salmonella enterica and Shigella sonnei. These findings indicate that postbiotic preparations from defined multi-strain cultures possess multifunctional traits. While in vivo trials remain necessary to confirm these effects in living systems, the metabolites show potential utility in formulations requiring combined nutritional, preservation, and metabolic support properties.
As interest grows in health-promoting foods and alternatives to synthetic additives, natural microbial products offer valuable biological properties. Postbiotics contain beneficial bacterial compounds without requiring live organisms, reducing handling and stability challenges. Demonstrating their combined ability to suppress harmful bacteria, act as antioxidants, and slow carbohydrate digestion provides a foundation for developing safer, healthier food components and preservative systems.
The findings point to applications in functional food formulations, dietary supplements, and natural food biopreservation, which could interest food manufacturers and nutraceutical developers. However, the technology is at an early research stage. All demonstrated antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial activities are limited to laboratory in vitro testing, meaning significant in vivo validation, safety profiling, and formulation trials are still required before commercial deployment.
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Postbiotics, bioactive metabolites produced during probiotic fermentation, are increasingly recognized for their health-promoting properties and potential applications in functional foods and natural biopreservation. This study evaluated the bioactive composition and in vitro bioactivities of postbiotics derived from defined mixed cultures of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (DSM 9843), Bifidobacterium longum (35624), and Bifidobacterium breve (DSM 16604). Freeze-dried postbiotics were quantified gravimetrically, and their composition analyzed for exopolysaccharides (EPS), titratable acidity, B-vitamin content, fatty acid profiles, and amino acid composition using standard methods. In vitro bioactivities, including antioxidant capacity, antidiabetic potential via α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, and antimicrobial activity were evaluated via minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and log reduction assays. The fermentation yielded 70.60–70.78 g/L freeze-dried postbiotics. Compositional analysis revealed EPS content of 652.99–654.17 µg/g, titratable acidity of 21.79–22.51 g/kg, total B-vitamin content of 387.37–390.67 mg/kg, total amino acids of 4366 ± 0.5 µg/kg, and over 32 distinct fatty acids. Antimicrobial testing showed complete inhibition of Bacillus cereus at 2.5 mg/mL, whereas higher concentrations were required for Salmonella enterica and Shigella sonnei . The postbiotics exhibited notable antioxidant activity (80.45% radical scavenging, IC₅₀ = 5.69 mg/mL) and apparent antidiabetic effects, inhibiting α-amylase by 84.39% (IC₅₀ = 8.29 mg/mL) and α-glucosidase by 72.51% (IC₅₀ = 12.42 mg/mL) under in vitro conditions. These results suggest the multifunctional bioactivity of postbiotics derived from mixed probiotic cultures, highlighting their potential as natural biopreservatives and functional food ingredients. However, in vivo validation is required to confirm these activities.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12866-026-05560-0
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