Plant-based beverages are increasing in popularity and quinoa is an attractive option. A hygienic implication linked to the production of beverages from raw material originating from plants is the high microbial contamination. The safety of the product can be guaranteed by lactic acid fermentation, and by using a probiotic strain as starter culture for the fermentation, the final product will benefit from a high number of live probiotics. In this study, a commercial probiotic strain was used for fermentation of a quinoa-based beverage. White quinoa grains were boiled, mixed with water and pasteurized before the beverage was fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum DSM 9843 at 30 °C for 2 days and then stored at 4 °C for 28 days. pH and production of D- and L-lactic acid were monitored, and viable counts were performed for total aerobes, Lactobacillus and Enterobacteriaceae. Colonies from countable plates were randomly picked and in total 335 isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. After heat treatment isolates of Enterobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia, Pantoea, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Leclercia were found in the heat-treated but unfermented quinoa beverage. After fermentation pH has decreased below 4, Enterobacteriaceae count was below detection limit and the Lactobacillus count was high 10.6 log CFU/ml (10.3-10.8) (p = 0.002 compared to inoculated counts). During storage pH and the concentration of lactic acid remained stable but after 28 days the lactobacilli count had decreased to 6.9 (6.6-7.2) (p = 0.065 compared to inoculated counts). The majority of isolates picked from Rogosa and Tryptic Soy Agar was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum but 19% and 6% were identified as Enterococcus mudtii and Pediococcus pentosaceous, respectively. The fermentation process applied improved the safety and stability of the product and fortified it with a high content of live probiotics. A safety problem is the spontaneous growth of enterococci (Enterococcus mudtii) during fermentation, enterococci originating from the native quinoa. A solution to this problem can be to increase the rate of the lactic acid fermentation, e.g. by using a higher inoculum of a more active starter culture, and/or to use a starter culture more antagonistic toward enterococci.

Demands for novel lactic acid bacteria with potential to be used as probiotics along with healthy fermented plant-based products increase worldwide. In this study, a novel Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 strain with enzymatic capacity to degrade tannins and ferment xylose was used as starter culture for fermentation of a quinoa-based beverage. The probiotic potential of the selected strain was evaluated in healthy volunteers. Twenty participants consumed the beverage for 14 days; microbiota changes in saliva and faecal samples were analyzed by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP), Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and qPCR; and gastrointestinal well-being and digestive symptoms were recorded. The results indicated that the consumption of the beverage with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 in a probiotic dose (10¹² CFU/mL) increased the number of Lactobacillus in the feces but not in saliva. Overall, the bacterial community did not seem to be influenced by the bacterium or by the beverage, as expressed by the diversity indexes, but specific genera were affected, as reflected in changes in amplicon sequence variants. Consequently, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P31891 showed potential to be categorized as a probiotic strain in the fermented quinoa-based beverage.

Leishmaniasis is considered one of the most untreated tropical diseases in the world. In this study, we investigated the in vitro leishmanicidal activity and cytotoxicity of various isolated lichen substances, including atranorin (1), usnic acid (2), gyrophoric acid (3), salazinic acid (4), galbinic acid (5), and parietin (6), and some semi-synthetic imine derivatives of usnic acid (7, 8, 9) and atranorin (10, 11, 12, 13). Imine condensation reactions with hydrazine and several amines were assisted by microwave heating, an efficient and eco-friendly energy source. The most interesting result was obtained for compound 2, which has high leishmanicidal activity but also high cytotoxicity. This cytotoxicity was mitigated in its derivative, 9, with better selectivity and high antileishmanic activity. This result may indicate that the usnic acid derivative (9) obtained using condensation with two cyclohexylamine groups is a promising lead compound for the discovery of new semisynthetic antiparasitic drugs.

The market for ready-to eat vegetables is increasing, but unfortunately so do the numbers of food-borne illness outbreaks related to these products. A previous study has identified bacterial strains suitable for biocontrol of leafy green vegetables to reduce the exposure to pathogens in these products. As a tentative safety evaluation, five selected strains (Rhodococcus cerastii MR5x, Bacillus coagulans LMG P-32205, Bacillus coagulans LMG P-32206, Pseudomonas cedrina LMG P-32207 and Pseudomonas punonensis LMG P-32204) were individually compared for immunomodulating effects in mice and in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs). Mice receiving the two B. coagulans strains consistently resemble the immunological response of the normal control, and no, or low, cell activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression was observed in MoDCs exposed to B. coagulans strains. However, different responses were seen in the two models for the Gram-negative P. cedrina and the Gram-positive R. cerastii. Moreover, P. punonensis and B. coagulans increased the microbiota diversity in mice as seen by the Shannon-Wiener index. In conclusion, the two strains of B. coagulans showed an immunological response that indicate that they lack pathogenic abilities, thus encouraging further safety evaluation and showing great potential to be used as biocontrol agents on leafy green vegetables.

Background: BeaT-2/Sugarburner is a nutritional supplement based on a co-existing microbial consortium of bacterial strains. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential beneficial effects of the supplement versus placebo on glycemic control and on biomarkers of inflammation, insulin resistance and ß-cell dysfunction. Methods: A total of 40 Patients with type 2 diabetes (31 male, 9 female, age:65.5 ± 8.0 years, BMI: 33.6 ± 5.5 kg/m ^² , HbA1c: 7.2 ± 0.9%) were included into the study. They were randomized to receive 2 capsules of either BeaT-2 or placebo once daily for 6 weeks. Observation parameters were time in normoglycemia as assessed by continuous glucose monitoring, and biomarkers of glycemic control, ß-cell function, insulin resistance and chronic systemic inflammation. Results: Time in range was stable with BeaT-2 between weeks 0 and 2 versus weeks 4 and 6, while it slightly impaired with placebo (−4%, n.s.). At endpoint, there were significant improvements versus baseline with BeaT-2, but not with placebo for biomarkers of glycemic control (BeaT-2 vs Placebo, HbA1c: −0.3% vs 0.1%, fasting glucose: −14% vs +8%, both P < .05), insulin resistance (insulin: −17% vs +14%, HOMA-IR: −26% vs +21%, both P < .05), ß-cell dysfunction (intact proinsulin: −40% vs −2%, P < .05) and chronic systemic inflammation (adiponectin: +8% vs −8%; P < .05, hsCRP: −31% vs +27%, n.s.). In addition, observed changes in the lipid profiles and other parameters of metabolic syndrome were more favorable with BeaT-2 than with placebo. There were no differences between the groups with respect to number and type of adverse events. Conclusion: The results observed with BeaT-2 were comprehensively indicative for improvements in the cardiometabolic situation. BeaT-2 may be a valuable supplement to any existing treatment combination in patients with type 2 diabetes.