Pediococcus pentosaceus strain SPARC2 as a potential probiotic food supplement: genomic insight, probiotic potential,...

Pediococcus pentosaceus species is an emerging probiotic that has recently gained great experimental interest worldwide. This study assessed the probiotic properties, genetic potential, and safety aspects of gut-associated P. pentosaceus for prospective application in animal feed. The in vitro investigation of the P. pentosaceus strain SPARC2 isolated from Nilli Ravi buffaloes gut showed favourable enzymatic (proteolytic, lipolytic, and amylolytic) and antagonistic activities against indicator bacterial strains. Furthermore, strain SPARC2 demonstrated non-toxic and non-hemolytic properties and susceptibility to several tested antibiotics, suggesting its safety for animal consumption. Genome-level analysis revealed that the strains SPARC2 carry no virulence or resistance genes, while numerous probiotic potential genes were detected in the P. pentosaceus SPARC2 genome. The in vivo safety investigation of SPARC2 demonstrated no physiological or haematological dysfunctions in mice. No expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-1β) cytokines was observed in the colon tissue of mice. Moreover, P. pentosaceus SPARC2 (1 × 10⁹ CFU/g) significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the blood profile of mice. The advantageous bacterial population was significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced with the administration of (1 × 10⁹ CFU/g) SPARC2. The findings indicated that, due to the distinct isolation source and functional and genomic attributes of SPARC2, it may serve as a target-based probiotic in animal feed to enhance health and production performance.