Zeitschrift für Probiotika und Gesundheit
Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

The Effect of a Lactose-rich Environment on Different Acidophile Bacterial Species

Gabriela Franco Katz

Aim: The aim of this study was therefore to determine if certain lactic acid bacterial species are more efficient at digesting lactose through fermentation, and therefore possibly more prone to have clinical benefit in for the lactose intolerant population. This will be assessed by measuring the change in pH of the bacterial culture as a result of lactic acid production over a period of 405 minutes.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a lactose-rich environment on 8 different acidophile bacterial species. The study was designed to try to determine whether certain species are more efficient lactose metabolisers, and therefore more prone to potentially provide clinical benefit when used as a supplement to promote the breakdown of lactose in the small intestine, especially in lactose-intolerant individuals. This was assessed by evaluating and comparing the change in pH of a lactose-based bacterial culture for each species over an 8-hour period. The variation of pH was used as an indirect measure of lactose fermentation and the subsequent production of lactic acid. The experiments performed suggest that Lactobacillus casei is the most effective lactose digesting species, as it triggered the greatest pH decrease, considering a 2.55 difference between the initial and final pH measurements. These findings help to establish the foundation for further clinical and nutritional research evaluating the potential role of this microorganism as an additive in food products and as probiotic supplement directed at lactose-intolerant individuals, either in conjunction with or as substitute to the currently used synthetic lactase.