Genetic heterogeneity and functional properties of newly isolated probiotic Bifidobacterium species

• Authors: ŠPANOVÁ Alena; KŠICOVÁ Kateřina; RITTICH Bohuslav; KRULOVÁ Blanka; DOUŠKOVÁ Dagmar; DRÁB Vladimír; DRBOHLAV Jan
• Year of publication: 2007
• Type: Article in Proceedings
• Conference: 2nd Symposium on Propionibacteria and Bifidobacteria
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Science
• Field: Microbiology, virology
• Keywords: Bifidobacterium; identification; PCR; ARDRA; rep-PCR; functional properties
• Description: Several molecular biological methods (genus-specific PCRs, species-specific PCRs, amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), and rep-PCRs) were applied for the identification and discrimination of Bifidobacterium strains. The above-mentioned methods were used for identification and characterisation of 64 Bifidobacterium strains isolated from suckling babies and 12 Bifidobacterium strains isolated from healthy adults and were proved to be discriminatory methods for the species of bifidobacteria. All genotyping methods revealed small intraspecies heterogeneity. The most commonly detected probiotic species were B. longum, B. bifidum, B. adolescentis, and B. breve. In addition, B. animalis was identified. Some functional properties of selected bifidobacterial strains (surviving at low pH, resistance to bile salts, stability during storage, and influence on the growth of selected starter cultures used in milk industry) were proved. The properties of the bifidobacteria tested were strain-dependent.

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