ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1622211
This article is part of the Research TopicEncapsulated Probiotics: Next-Generation Functional Food ProductionView all articles
Effect of encapsulation technology and in vitro digestion on the hypocholesterolemic activity of Limosilactobacillus fermentum K73
Provisionally accepted
Mary Geraldyne Cardoso Cardenas1,2Katherine Bauer Estrada1,2
Luis Eduardo Diaz Barrera1,2
Maria Ximena Quintanilla-Carvajal1,2*- 1Agroindustrial Processes Research Group, Chia, Colombia
- 2Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Colombia
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Members of the Lactobacillaceae family have been extensively investigated for their healthpromoting properties, including the restoration of cellular functions, inhibition of pathogen colonization, and cholesterol-lowering effects. This study evaluated the hypocholesterolemic activity of Limosilactobacillus fermentum K73 at various stages of encapsulation using three distinct capsule types, including simulated gastrointestinal (GI) transit and analysis of adhesion to HT-29 and RKO intestinal epithelial cells. The strain demonstrated a pronounced ability to deconjugate taurine-conjugated bile salts, particularly taurocholic acid sodium (TCA) and sodium taurodeoxycholate acid (TDCA), as evidenced by viable cell counts. In bioreactor samples, counts reached 8.31 and 7.82 log CFU/mL for TCA and TDCA, respectively. After capsule dissolution, viability decreased across all formulations: C1 showed 6.90 and 5.04, C2 reached 4.99 and 4.68, and C3 recorded 6.10 and 4.12 log CFU/mL. Following in vitro digestion, C1 exhibited notable recovery, with 7.30 log CFU/mL (TCA) and 4.26 log CFU/mL (TDCA). Cholesterol absorption was highest in digested C1 (65.49%), surpassing the 24-hour broth culture (63.9%). Adhesion to epithelial cells varied by formulation; for HT-29 cells, C1, C2, and C3 showed 21, 5, and 33 adhered bacteria, respectively, while for RKO cells, adhesion was 44 (C1), 22 (C2), and 201 (C3). These findings demonstrate that L. fermentum K73 maintained its viability, hypocholesterolemic activity, and epithelial adhesion capacity
Keywords: probiotic, Spray-drying, BSH, Cell Adhesion, Lactobacillaceae
Received: 02 May 2025; Accepted: 14 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cardoso Cardenas, Bauer Estrada, Diaz Barrera and Quintanilla-Carvajal. 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: Maria Ximena Quintanilla-Carvajal, Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, Colombia
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