0
en
US
WSMUS
35548107
FREE delivery on orders over $25
× SuperSmart Learn by health topic New articles Popular articles Visit our shop My account Smart Prescription Blog Loyalty program Language: English
Digestion & Oral health Guides and tutorials

Lactic acid bacteria: definition, benefits and risks

Used for thousands of years to preserve foods, lactic acid bacteria offer multiple health benefits. How can you make optimal use of them?
Yogurts rich in lactic acid bacteria
Lactic acid bacteria are primarily found in fermented dairy products.
Rédaction Supersmart.
2023-05-31Commentaires (0)

Lactic acid bacteria: definition and history

Lactic acid bacteria, also known as lactic ferments, are bacteria that produce lactic acid through fermentation, ie, by breaking down the sugars in food.

There are four main groups of lactic acid bacteria:

There’s also the leuconostoc genus (from the lactobacillus family).

Used for thousands of years for preserving food, lactic fermentation was actually only discovered in the 19th century, specifically in dairy products. That’s why, even though these amazing bacteria play a key role in many types of food processing (and many metabolic processes such as production of ATP in the body), they are referred to as ‘lactic’.

Lactic acid bacteria and yogurt, how does it work?

Lactic acid bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, are used to produce yogurt. When cultures are added to milk, the lactic ferments consume the sugars in the milk, in particular lactose, to produce lactic acid.

Lactic acid causes the milk to thicken, changing the consistency to that of yogurt, and generating acidity.

When bifidobacteria are used, it results in a product with a different taste and consistency for which the designation ‘yogurt’ cannot be used.

Lactic acid bacteria and cheese: another application

Lactic acid bacteria, along with rennet, are also central to the production of cheese. In fact, to make cheese, the milk needs to coagulate so that the ‘solid’ part can be recovered and the liquid part extracted. Either rennet or lactic acid bacteria are used for this purpose:

Lactic acid bacteria and lacto-fermentation

The use of lactic acid bacteria is not, however, restricted to yogurt and cheese production! These microorganisms are also integral to the production of lacto-fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut (1).

Here, vegetables are left to ferment in brine (a mixture of salt and water) in order for their naturally-present lactic acid bacteria to digest some of their sugars. This produces a tangy dish rich in natural lactic ferments which is excellent for the gut microbiota!

Lactic acid bacteria and sausage? Though it’s an unlikely combination, lacto-fermentation is actually an essential stage in the production of fermented sausage-type charcuterie.

Lactic acid bacteria and lactose intolerance

Since lactic acid bacteria digest lactose to produce lactic acid, cheese has a lower lactose content than milk. That’s why many lactose-intolerant individuals are able to eat cheese, and sometimes even yogurt, without any problem – they have lactic acid bacteria to thank for that (2)!

It’s worth noting that hard cheeses like Comté contain even less lactose than soft cheeses, as the lactic acid bacteria consume even more lactose to produce a firm curd.

Benefits of lactic ferments for the gut microbiota

The human body contains billions of beneficial bacteria located in key positions: we now understand these as comprising distinct types of microbiota:

It’s the latter, in particular, which has been widely studied over the last several years. Gut microbiota health has been found to directly affect not only immune system quality but also mood (3-4).

It just so happens that this gut microbiota is comprised of, amongst others, lactic acid bacteria, which is why in general, probiotics are largely composed of lactic bacteria (5).

Indeed probiotics, today recognized for supporting normal gut microbiota function, therefore now include (6):

Many of these strains of bacteria are combined in the multi-strain probiotic supplement Full Spectrum Probiotic Formula.

Lactic ferments: risks

Studies on lactic acid bacteria have actually found no risks associated with their consumption. The only potential side-effect is from excessive intake of lacto-fermented products which may produce a laxative effect due to over-stimulation of the digestive system by lactic acid bacteria.

Apart from that, long-term supplementation with probiotics should not cause any problems, though it’s usually advisable to limit it to three months’ duration to allow time for the gut microbiota to re-form on its own.

For more information on taking probiotics, check out our blog articles ‘How long should a course of probiotics last?‘ and ‘Probiotics: can you take them all the time?’.

SUPERSMART ADVICE

Full Spectrum Probiotic Formula Full Spectrum Probiotic Formula

The ultimate probiotic formulation for your gut and immunity (20 synergistic strains)

$35.00
5 2 reviews

References

  1. RICCI, Annalisa, BERNINI, Valentina, MAOLONI, Antonietta, et al.Vegetable by-product lacto-fermentation as a new source of antimicrobial compounds. Microorganisms, 2019, vol. 7, no 12, p. 607.
  2. GURR, M. I. Nutritional aspects of fermented milk products. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 1987, vol. 3, no 3, p. 337-342.
  3. KELLY, Denise, CONWAY, Shaun, et AMINOV, Rustam. Commensal gut bacteria: mechanisms of immune modulation. Trends in immunology, 2005, vol. 26, no 6, p. 326-333.
  4. PEIRCE, Jason M. et ALVIÑA, Karina. The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety. Journal of neuroscience research, 2019, vol. 97, no 10, p. 1223-1241.
  5. DEROSA, Lisa, ROUTY, Bertrand, FIDELLE, Marine, et al.Gut bacteria composition drives primary resistance to cancer immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma patients. European urology, 2020, vol. 78, no 2, p. 195-206.
  6. LJUNGH, Asa et WADSTROM, Torkel. Lactic acid bacteria as probiotics. Current issues in intestinal microbiology, 2006, vol. 7, no 2, p. 73-90.
SharePinterest

Commentaires

You must be connected to your account to leave a comment
Be the first to review this article
Our selection of articles

Products which must be of interest

© 1997-2024 Fondation pour le Libre Choix. All rights reserved
© 1997-2024 Fondation pour le Libre Choix. All rights reserved
Nortonx
secure
Warning
ok