Impact of lactic acid bacteria and their metabolites on the techno-functional properties and health benefits of fermented dairy products

Abstract

After conversion of lactose to lactic acid, several biochemical changes occur such as enhanced protein digestibility, fatty acids release, and production of bioactive compounds etc. during the fermentation process that brings nutritional and quality improvement in the fermented dairy products (FDP). A diverse range of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is being utilized for the development of FDP with specific desirable techno-functional attributes. This review contributes to the knowledge of basic pathways and changes during fermentation process and the current research on techniques used for identification and quantification of metabolites. The focus of this article is mainly on the metabolites responsible for maintaining the desired attributes and health benefits of FDP as well as their characterization from raw milk. LAB genera including Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Lactococcus are involved in the fermentation of milk and milk products. LAB species accrue these benefits and desirable properties of FDP producing the bioactive compounds and metabolites using homo-fermentative and heterofermentative pathways. Generation of metabolites vary with incubation and other processing conditions and are analyzed and quantified using highly advanced and sophisticated instrumentation including nuclear magnetic resonance, mass-spectrometry based techniques. Health benefits of FDP are mainly possible due to the biological roles of such metabolites that also cause technological improvements desired by dairy manufacturers and consumers.

Graphical Abtsract

Keywords:

• Fermented dairy products
• health benefits
• lactic acid bacteria
• metabolites
• nutritional improvement

Acknowledgments

This work is also based upon the work from COST Action 18101 SOURDOMICS – Sourdough biotechnology network towards novel, healthier and sustainable food and bioprocesses (https://sourdomics.com/; https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18101/, where the author J.M.F.R. is the Chair and Grant Holder Scientific Representative, the author E.B. is vice-chair and leader of the working group 6 “Project design and development innovative prototypes of products and small-scale processing technologies” and the author F.Ö. is the leader of the working group 8 “Food safety, health promoting, sensorial perception and consumers’ behaviour,” and is supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) (https://www.cost.eu/). COST is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Regarding the author J.M.F.R., this work was also financially supported by: (i) Base Funding – UIDB/00511/2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy – LEPABE – funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); (ii) Project PTDC/EQU-EQU/28101/2017 – SAFEGOAL – Safer Synthetic Turf Pitches with Infill of Rubber Crumb from Recycled Tires, funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict-of-interest concern this review work.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.