title: Commercial probiotic bacteria and prebiotic carbohydrates: a fundamental study on prebiotics uptake, antimicrobials production and inhibition of pathogens.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Probiotics and prebiotics are among the most important functional food ingredients worldwide. The proven benefits of such ingredients to human health have encouraged the development of functional foods containing both probiotics and prebiotics. In this work, the production of antimicrobial compounds coupled to the uptake of commercial prebiotics by probiotic bacteria was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The probiotic bacteria studied were able to take up commercial prebiotic carbohydrates to the same or higher extent than that observed for lactose (control carbohydrate). The growth of probiotic bacteria was coupled to the production of antimicrobials such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), H2 O2 and bacteriocins. A higher production of antimicrobial compounds was recorded with Oligomate 55® compared with Regulact® and Frutafit® (3-5 and 10-115 times higher SCFA and H2 O2 production, respectively). The probiotic bacteria grown with Oligomate 55® also produced bacteriocins and other non-identified antimicrobial compounds. The antimicrobials produced by the probiotic bacteria inhibited up to 50% the growth of model pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua and Micrococcus luteus compared with control cultures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results here obtained are useful for the adequate selection of probiotic/prebiotics pairs and therefore in the development of efficient functional foods.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, 09340, México, DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz-Guerrero
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hernández-Sánchez
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Serrano
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gómez-Ruiz
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García-Garibay
authors.forename: Ivonne
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Figueroa-González
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000898:Antibiosis; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003132:Commerce; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008087:Listeria / Q000187:drug effects; D008837:Micrococcus / Q000187:drug effects; D056692:Prebiotics; D019936:Probiotics / Q000378:metabolism*; D058616:Synbiotics
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D056692:Prebiotics; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide
keywords: antimicrobials; bacteriocins; pathogen inhibition; prebiotic carbohydrates; probiotic bacteria