In vitro characterization of probiotic properties of Lactobacillus species isolated from boza traditional non-alcoholic fermented Turkish beverage

Boza, a traditional grain-based fermented beverage, contains probiotic species with health-promoting properties. This study aims to evaluate the probiotic potential, health, and safety properties of Lactobacillus sp. in boza. Rapid identifications were performed using the MALDI-TOF MS method. The isolates were tested for acid resistance, bile tolerance, antibiotic resistance, acidification ability, enzyme production potential, hydrophobicity, and EPS production. Molecular identification of the strains that passed all tests was performed using the 16S rRNA PCR method. The results demonstrated that of the 27 isolates, 8 were Lactobacillus ( L. ) casei , 6 were L. brevis , 6 were L. plantarum , 4 were L. fermentum , and 3 were L. delbrueckii . Amongst Lactobacillus strains, 13 were found to be acid-resistant, but survival rates decreased significantly with increasing acidity (p < .05). These idendical isolates were also tolerant to bile. Four of these isolates were antibiotic resistant, and the antibiotic-sensitive strains showed acid and enzyme production abilities, generally had strong hydrophobicity, and all produced exopolysaccharides (EPS). Of the 7 isolates that passed all tests, 3 strains exhibiting antimicrobial activity against 4 identified pathogens were identified as L. plantarum , L. casei , and L. brevis . It was determined that hydrophobicity and acidification capacity positively and significantly affected antimicrobial activity (p < .05). Overall, in vitro results indicated that, in vivo testing of these strains as promising natural probiotics is necessary to determine their health benefits. Besides this, studies to increase their initial load and further enhance their efficacy through methods such as microencapsulation are also recommended.