Dairy propionibacteria. Technological importance and probiotic potential for application on human and animal nutrition

G. ZARATE, J. D. BABOT, E. ARGAÑARAZ-MARTÍNEZ, M. J. LORENZO-PISARELLO, A. PÉREZ CHAIA

Multidisciplinary Approaches on Food Science and Nutrition for the XXI Century

Research Signpost

Lugar: Kerala, India; Año: 2011; p. 175 - 213

The main economic importance of the dairy or classical propionibacteria derives from their role as starters in the manufacture of Swiss-type cheeses. However, research carried out on new substrates and the development of improved technologies for fermentation encourage their use for the biological production of propionic acid. Other industrial applications evaluated include  the production of exopolysaccharides and bacteriocins to be used as thickeners and foods preservers respectively. Products derived  from the metabolism of propionibacteria like vitamins B12 and K and conjugated linoleic acid, may be used for human health, evidencing the ability of these bacteria for the production of nutraceuticals. The potential of propionibacteria to improve human health as dietary microbial adjuncts has been investigated over the last decades. In this sense, dairy propionibacteria have proven to have many beneficial effects on health such as modulation of the intestinal microbiota composition, improvement of nutrient utilization, vitamin production, immune system stimulation and hypocholesterolemic effects. The use of propionibacteria for cancer prevention has gained much attention due to positive outcomes from  in vitro and  in vivo studies. Several mechanisms have been proposed including  in situ the production of short chain fatty acids, decrease of enzymatic activities involved in the release of carcinogenic metabolites, binding to toxic compounds and antimutagenic and antigenotoxic activities.  Propionibacteria have also been reported as Nurmi-type cultures components that prevent Salmonella colonization in poultry. Moreover, when fed to farm animals, propionibacteria promote the growth of piglets and calves and enhance lactational performance of dairy cows. Much of these health benefits could be related to the ability of propionibacteria to survive in high numbers to the gastrointestinal transit, to adhere to the intestinal mucosa extending their permanence in the gut and to produce short chain fatty acids from carbohydrates fermentation.  The present article reviews the current knowledge on the taxonomy of the group and the available tools for isolation, identification and enumeration of the classical propionibacteria. Different industrial applications, some of them being currently under study, are analyzed. All the reported probiotic effects, evaluated through both  in vitro and  in vivo studies, that support the potential of  dairy propionibacteria to be used as food supplements for humans and animals are also discussed.