Federica Montagano

Dr. Federica Montagano

University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
orcid
fmontagano@unite.it

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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25 May 2024 in Foods
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Roberta PreteRoberta Prete
Roberta Prete
FDFrancesca Dell’orco
Francesca Dell’orco
GSGiusi Sabatini
Giusi Sabatini
FMFederica Montagano
Federica Montagano
Natalia BattistaNatalia Battista
Natalia Battista
ACAldo Corsetti
Aldo Corsetti
Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) producing lactic acid bacteria have been claimed to confer various health benefits to the host, including the ability to face oxidative and inflammatory-related stress. This study investigated the ability of food-borne Lactiplantibacillus (Lpb.) plantarum to improve the antioxidant activity of fermented milks by producing EPSs. Two Lpb. plantarum strains, selected as lower and higher EPSs producers, have been applied in lab-scale fermented milk production, in combination with conventional starters. Antioxidant activity was investigated in vitro using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays while the ability to modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was evaluated in an intestinal healthy model, subjected to both oxidative and inflammatory stress. Furthermore, to verify whether digestion affects functionality, fermented milks were evaluated before and after in vitro-simulated INFOGEST digestion. The results showed an improved antioxidant activity of fermented milk enriched with Lpb. plantarum LT100, the highest EPSs producer. Furthermore, the data showed a different ROS modulation with a protective anti-inflammatory effect of samples enriched with Lpb. plantarum strains. Our data suggest the use of selected EPS-producing strains of Lpb. plantarum as a natural strategy to enrich the functionality of fermented milks in terms of ROS modulation and inflammatory-related stress.