Isolation and identification of probiotics - study of commercial products

• Grant number: 24/08823-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Svetoslav Dimitrov Todorov
• Grantee: Isabella Somera de Oliveira e Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of probiotics as part of food products and supplements is part of nutritional and pharmaceutical habits. Currently a wide range of probiotic products (enriched with probiotics food products and pharmaceutical supplements) are available on the market and can be easily purchased over the counter; unlike pharmaceutical drugs, their commercial distribution is not strictly regulated. The question is if all that products (specially that marketed as pharmaceutical supplements) are providing right bacterial species in the appropriate doses? In this proposal we aim to evaluate at least 6 commercial probiotic preparations containing Limosilactobacillus reuteri with objective to confirm if the mentioned bacterial species (Limosilactobacillus reuteri) is present in the product in the appropriate numbers; to investigate if any other bacterial species will be recorded. The analyses will include determination of viable counts and taxonomic identification of the bacterial species present in each formulation. The status of each product will be assessed by comparing the results with the information and claims provided on the label. In addition to their molecular identification, safety assessment of the isolated strains will be