Potentiality of Food-Isolated Lentilactobacillus kefiri Strains as Probiotics: State-of-Art and Perspectives

Abstract

Lentilactobacillus kefri is one of the main lactic acid bacteria species in kefr and it was also isolated from other fermented foods. Numerous strains have been isolated and characterized regarding its potential as probiotics for the development of novel functional foods. To our knowledge this is the frst review focused on highlighting safety aspects and health beneficial effects reported for L. kefri strains. Several L. kefri strains lack of transmissible antibiotic resistance genes, are tolerant tothe harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal environment, and could resist diferent preservation procedures. Moreover, many of the isolated strains have shown antimicrobial activity against pathogens and their toxins, exhibited immunomodulatory activity as well as induced some benefcial efects at metabolic level. Regarding all the scientifc evidence, certain L. kefiri strains emerge as excellent candidates to be applied to the development of both food supplements and new fermented foods with health-promoting properties. However, the availability of genomic information is still very limited, so much more work must be done in order to explore the potentiality of L. kefiri as a probiotic and a source of bioactive metabolites.