ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POTENTIAL PROBIOTIC BACTERIA FROM JORDANIAN TRADITIONAL PICKLED AND FERMENTED FOODS

Locally fermented vegetables and dairy products were tested for the presence of Lactobacillus strains, and their probiotic properties were assessed including survival in gastrointestinal conditions and bile tolerance. Nine Lactobacillus strains were isolated from selected fermented food products local to the Jordanian diet; four strains L. brevis 3, two of L. buchneri, and one each of L. brevis 1, L. fermentum 1, and L. fermentum 2 were identified. All isolates were able to tolerate the acidic simulated gastric juice and alkaline simulated intestinal juice to varying degrees after incubation for three and four hours, respectively, with a reduction in viable counts of ca. 1-2 log colony forming unit per mL (CFU/mL). Similar results were observed in four concentrations of bile salts, with the exception of L. brevis 3 and L. buchneri which were not able to survive in 2% bile salt. The results of this study show that local traditional fermented vegetable and dairy products are good sources of potentially beneficial Lactobacillus probiotic strains. Further studies, including in vivo testing, are required to elucidate the full probiotic capacity of the isolated species