Lactic acid bacteria with cholesterol-lowering properties for dairy applications: In vitro and in situ activity

Cholesterol-lowering activity is one of the most
promising properties of lactic acid bacteria with
probiotic characteristics. In the present study, 58 potentially
probiotic lactic acid bacteria were tested for
their ability to survive in vitro digestion and reduce
cholesterol in a medium containing cholesterol and bile
acids. The best-performing strains (Lactobacillus casei
VC199, Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei SE160
and VC213, Lactobacillus plantarum VS166 and VS513,
Enterococcus faecium VC223, and Enterococcus lactis
BT161) resulted in a 42 to 55% reduction of the cholesterol
level in broth and were further tested in cheese
manufacture. The cholesterol content in all the cheeses
decreased with ripening. All the strains were present
in the cheese at levels higher than 107 cfu/g until 60 d
of ripening, the highest reductions (up to 23%) being
obtained when Lb. paracasei ssp. paracasei VC213 and
E. lactis BT161 were added during the cheese-making.
The adjunct cultures had no negative effect on the sensory
characteristics of the cheese. Thus, these strains
with proven in vitro properties are good candidates
for novel probiotic-containing formulations and could
be used to functionalize foods such as dairy fermented
products