ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Biofilms
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1685639
This article is part of the Research TopicProbiotics, Postbiotics and Synbiotics against Pathogenic Biofilms: Demand and Trends - Volume IIView all 3 articles
Screening, isolation, identification and evaluation of bacteria with probiotic potential from traditional Palmyra palm nectar
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Biotechnology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India
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Traditional fermented foods are rich reservoirs of probiotic microorganisms, yet several remain scientifically underexplored. The current research focused on the screening, isolation, identification, and assessment of potential probiotic isolates exhibiting β-galactosidase activity from naturally fermented Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) nectar, a culturally significant, traditional beverage consumed in India. Eighty distinct bacterial isolates were obtained under aseptic conditions and initially evaluated through cultural, microscopic, and biochemical analyses. Among these, 56 Gram-positive, catalase-negative isolates were shortlisted for further probiotic assessment. Seventeen isolates demonstrated desirable cell surface traits, including auto-aggregation, hydrophobicity, and co-aggregation, indicative of strong adhesion potential to intestinal mucosa. These isolates were further characterized for antibiotic susceptibility, antioxidative potential, and safety profiles through hemolysis and DNase activity assays. Seven strains exhibited superior probiotic characteristics, including robust acid (pH 1–3) and bile salt (0.7%) tolerance over 6 h. Notably, these top-performing strains produced substantial levels of exopolysaccharides (573–785 mg/L) and β-galactosidase (110.25–221.09 U/mL), supporting their functional role in lactose hydrolysis. They also demonstrated high cell surface hydrophobicity (35.87–69.93%), auto-aggregation (59.29–82.76%), and co-aggregation with Salmonella Typhi MTCC 733 (46.58–70.87%) and Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022 (53.45–78.85%). In addition, significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (57.68–70.66%) was observed, suggesting potential antioxidant benefits. Collectively, these findings highlight the probiotic potential and functional attributes of Palmyra nectar-derived bacteria, supporting their future application in functional foods and nutraceuticals aimed at improving gut health and lactose digestion.
Keywords: Probiotics, palm nectar, β-galactosidase production, Gastrointestinal conditions, EPS production, anti-oxidant activity and indigenous fermented foods
Received: 14 Aug 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kanimozhi, Sangavi, Malligarjunan and Gowrishankar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shanmugaraj Gowrishankar, gowrishankar.alu@gmail.com
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