title: Galacto-oligosaccharides as protective molecules in the preservation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.
abstract: In this work, the protective capacity of galacto-oligosaccharides in the preservation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CIDCA 333 was evaluated. Lactobacillus bulgaricus was freeze-dried or dried over silica gel in the presence of three commercial products containing galacto-oligosaccharides. The freeze-dried samples were stored at 5 and 25°C for different periods of time. After desiccation, freeze-drying or storage, samples were rehydrated and bacterial plate counts were determined. According to the results obtained, all galacto-oligosaccharides assays demonstrated to be highly efficient in the preservation of L. bulgaricus. The higher content of galacto-oligosaccharides in the commercial products was correlated with their higher protective capacity. Galacto-oligosaccharides are widely known by their prebiotic properties. However, their role as protective molecules have not been reported nor properly explored up to now. In this work the protective capacity of galacto-oligosaccharides in the preservation of L. bulgaricus, a strain particularly sensitive to any preservation process, was demonstrated. The novel role of galacto-oligosaccharides as protective molecules opens up several perspectives in regard to their applications. The supplementation of probiotics with galacto-oligosaccharides allows the production of self-protected synbiotic products, galacto-oligosaccharides exerting both a prebiotic and protecting effect.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos (CIDCA), Conicet La Plata, UNLP, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: E Elizabeth
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Tymczyszyn
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gerbino
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Illanes
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez-Zavaglia
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods; D005612:Freeze Drying / Q000379:methods*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D048668:Lactobacillus delbrueckii / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050296:Microbial Viability; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D058428:Silica Gel; D058616:Synbiotics; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D058428:Silica Gel