Prebiotics have become an important functional food because of their potential for modulating the gut microbiota and metabolic activities. However, different prebiotics can stimulate the growth of different probiotics. The optimization of prebiotics was focused on in this study in order to stimulate the representative probiotics’ growth (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (previously Lactobacillus rhamnosus) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis) and their function. The culture medium was supplemented with three prebiotics, including inulin (INU), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). All prebiotics can clearly stimulate the growth of probiotic strains in both monoculture and co-culture. The specific growth rates of L. rhamnosus and B. animalis subsp. lactis were shown in GOS (0.019 h⁻¹) and FOS (0.023 h⁻¹), respectively. The prebiotic index (PI) scores of INU (1.03), FOS (0.86), and GOS (0.84) in co-culture at 48 h were significantly higher than the control (glucose). The mixture of prebiotics to achieve high quality was optimized using the Box–Behnken design. The optimum prebiotic ratios of INU, FOS, and GOS were 1.33, 2.00, and 2.67% w/v, respectively, with the highest stimulated growth of probiotic strains occurring with the highest PI score (1.03) and total short chain fatty acid concentration (85.55 µmol/mL). The suitable ratio of mixed prebiotics will function as a potential ingredient for functional foods or colonic foods.

The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that plays a vital role in maintaining overall health, and is comprised of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The probiotic efficacy and safety of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium breve for consumption were confirmed by in vitro experiments. The survival rate of the probiotics showed a significant decline in in vitro gut tract simulation; however, the survival rate was more than 50%. Also, the probiotics could adhere to Caco-2 cell lines by more than 90%, inhibit the pathogenic growths, deconjugate glycocholic acid and taurodeoxycholic acid through activity of bile salt hydrolase (BSH) proteins, and lower cholesterol levels by over 46%. Regarding safety assessment, L. paracasei and B. breve showed susceptibility to some antibiotics but resistance to vancomycin and were examined as γ-hemolytic strains. Anti-inflammatory properties of B. breve with Caco-2 epithelial cell lines showed the significantly highest value (p < 0.05) for interleukin-10. Furthermore, probiotics and prebiotics (inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and galactooligosaccharides) comprise synbiotics, which have potential effects on the increased abundance of beneficial microbiota, but do not affect the growth of harmful bacteria in feces samples. Moreover, the highest concentration of short chain fatty acid was of acetic acid, followed by propionic and butyric acid.

Alternative methods to reduce infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens and their virulence factors, biofilm formations, have arisen to reduce the pressure on existing or currently developed disinfectants and antimicrobial agents. The current strategies for reducing the severity of periodontal pathogen-caused disease by using beneficial bacteria and their metabolites are highly desirable. Probiotic strains of lactobacilli related to foods from Thai-fermented foods were selected and their postbiotic metabolites (PM) were isolated with inhibitory activity on periodontal pathogens and their biofilm formation. The PM from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PD18 (PD18 PM) with the highest antagonistic effect against Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and Prevotella loescheii was selected from 139 Lactobacillus isolates. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) values of PD18 PM against the pathogens ranged from 1:2 to 1:4. The PD18 PM demonstrated the ability to prevent the biofilm formation of S. mutans and P. gingivalis by showing a significant reduction in viable cells, high percentages of biofilm inhibition at 92.95 and 89.68%, and the highest effective contact times at 5 and 0.5 min, respectively. L. plantarum PD18 PM showed potential as a promising natural adjunctive agent to inhibit periodontal pathogens and their biofilms.

Hericium erinaceus is reported as a source of several nutritional contents and bioactive compounds, especially β-glucan. However, various uncontrolled processes lead to the formation of byproducts that can affect human health, including biogenic amines. These amines are concerning, because their presence is an important indicator of the process of hygiene and food spoilage or quality. A better understanding of various pretreatment processes can control the content of biogenic amines. In this work, we studied the effect of pretreatment processes, i.e., sample size (whole, ripping, and chopping); heating process (non-heating, blanching, and boiling); and drying method (nondrying, hot air drying, and freeze-drying) on biogenic amine contents in H. erinaceus extract. A method of the post-column high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique was used for the analysis of putrescine (PUT) and spermidine (SPD) in H. erinaceus extract following the acceptable guidelines. In this study, treatment 20 (chopping/non-heating/hot air drying) was suggested as a good choice for the pretreatment process, because low levels of PUT and SPD were shown in the extract while high levels of the bioactive compounds β-glucan and antioxidant activity were presented. This treatment process can be applied to the industry because of its easy operation and cost-saving.

Biotechnology, cosmetics, and aesthetic remedies are now inextricably intertwined due to the production of alternative, more effective, and safer active ingredients. Additionally, there has been an increase in demand for natural cosmetic ingredients across the globe. Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Miang tea) is a good alternative because of several biological activities, and is commercially cultivated as a resource in northern Thailand. The process of fermentation mediated by probiotics can enhance the bioavailability of compounds, transform bioactive compounds, and decrease chemical solvent use for sustainability. This study aims to apply the functional evaluation of Miang tea bio-extracts to promote skin health. On the basis of their bioactive enzymes, β-glucosidase, and antioxidant properties, the strains Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (previously Lactobacillus rhamnosus), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (previously Lactobacillus plantarum), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used as mixed probiotic starter cultures. The activities of white, green, and black Miang tea bio-extracts, including ferric reducing antioxidant power, lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide inhibition, tyrosinase inhibition, collagenase inhibition (MMP-1 and MMP-2), and antimicrobial activity, were all considerable after 7 days of fermentation time. Additionally, phenolic antioxidant compounds (gallic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, caffeic acid, caffeine, and p-coumaric acid) were identified. The current study’s findings can determine the most effective fermentation time and dose of bio-extract, as well as suggest improvements in bioactive compounds for use in skin care formulations. These results will be used for testing on human participants in further work.

Background/Objectives: Periodontal disease is caused by oral infections, biofilms, persistent inflammation, and degeneration of cell barrier integrity, allowing pathogens to invade host cells. Probiotics have been extensively studied for the treatment of periodontal disease. However, research on the involvement of beneficial substances produced by probiotics, called “postbiotics,” in periodontal diseases remains in its early stages. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a postbiotic metabolite (PM) from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PD18 on immunomodulation and maintenance of cell barrier integrity related to periodontal disease. Method: The main substance in PM PD18 was analyzed by GC-MS. The cytotoxic effect of PM PD18 was performed using the MTT assay, wound healing through the scratch assay, cell permeability through TEER value, modulation of inflammatory cytokines through ELISA, and gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and tight junction protein was determined using qRT-PCR. Results: The main substance found in PM PD18 is 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine. PM PD18 did not exhibit cytotoxic effects on RAW 264.7 cells but promoted wound healing and had an antiadhesion effect on Porphyromonas gingivalis concerning SF-TY cells. This postbiotic could maintain cell barrier integrity by balancing transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. In addition, the gene and protein expression levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) increased. PM PD18 was found to have immunomodulatory properties, as demonstrated by regulated anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) increased, while IL-6 and IL-8 were reduced. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that PM PD18 is efficient as a natural treatment for maintaining cell barrier integrity and balancing inflammatory responses associated with periodontal disease.