Dairy Propionibacteria: Probiotic Properties and Their Molecular Bases

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Probiotics
• Dairy Science

Background:

• Dairy propionibacteria, including Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Acidipropionibacterium species, are found in raw milk cheeses.
• P. freudenreichii is used as a starter culture in Swiss-type cheeses and incorporated into commercial probiotic preparations.
• Some strains are studied for producing bioactive substances like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bifidogenic molecules, and vitamins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the probiotic characteristics of dairy propionibacteria.
• To summarize current knowledge on P. freudenreichii and Acidipropionibacterium species as probiotics.
• To highlight potential applications and mechanisms of probiotic action.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on dairy propionibacteria.
• Analysis of research on P. freudenreichii and Acidipropionibacterium species.
• Examination of molecular mechanisms and animal model studies.

Main Results:

• P. freudenreichii strains demonstrate significant probiotic potential in animal models.
• These bacteria can mitigate inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), mucositis, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
• They exhibit immunomodulatory effects, alleviating symptoms of food allergies, obesity, diabetes, colorectal cancer (CRC), and infections, and inhibiting osteoclastogenesis.

Conclusions:

• P. freudenreichii possesses well-elucidated molecular mechanisms for probiotic action, mediated by cell surface and extracellular vesicle proteins.
• While safe, further investigation into transferable antibiotic resistance is needed.
• Clinical trials are essential to confirm the efficacy of these bacteria as human probiotics.