Characterization of folate producing potency of lactic acid bacteria as starter culture for dairy industry

Abstract

Folate or Vitamin B9 can’t be synthesized by humans and obtained exogenously to prevent folate deficiency and related ailments. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are capable of producing folate and exploiting this folate producing potency in fermentation is a novel approach to increase concentrations of folate in foods. Nearly 49 isolates were made from different sources and based on biochemical and molecular techniques 16 isolates were characterized as Lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These 16 LAB isolates were screened for folate grown in folate-free culture medium (FACM) and evaluated for folate production by microbiological assay. Among the isolates the highest folate producer was LAB 33 (76.078μg/L) followed by LAB 28 (69.804), LAB 29 (68.558), LAB 45 (64.725) and LAB 07 (48.451) was the least folate producer. Also potency of the LAB isolates to convert milk into curd could be used as starter cultures in dairy industries to produce novel bio-folate enriched dairy foods which could be able to increase the folate levels without the need for chemical fortifications.