What is the difference between lactic acid bacteria and probiotics?

Simply put, most probiotics are lactic acid bacteria, and only a few strains of lactic acid bacteria can be called probiotics. Probiotics are living microorganisms that have been researched and clearly proven to be beneficial to health, and lactic acid bacteria are bacteria that produce lactic acid.

But why are the two nouns often used interchangeably? Because most of the strains that have been proven to be probiotics are lactic acid bacteria, when talking about probiotics, it is natural to think of lactic acid bacteria. On the contrary, there are thousands of lactic acid bacteria species, but only a small number of them can be called probiotics.

For example, our laboratory has isolated thousands of strains of lactic acid bacteria from the natural environment, breast milk, infant feces, pickles, traditional Chinese medicine, etc., but only a few of them can be explored through acid resistance, bile salt resistance, and various health effects. These strains have to go through a long period of efficacy certification and safety experiments before they can be called probiotics. Take Yakult’s Lactobacillus casei Daitian strain and Lactobacillus plantarum K97 developed by my laboratory as examples. The genus names are both Lactobacillus; the species names, one is called “cheese” and the other is called “plant”; It is named after Dr. Daitian Nian’s surname, and one is named directly with the internal number of the laboratory.

We can easily isolate countless Lactobacillus casei from feces, but there are very few strains that can improve defecation and immunity like the Yakult Shirota strain. I want to know this, otherwise, how can Yakult rely on a Daitian plant to dominate for more than 70 years. As for Lactobacillus plantarum, we have studied hundreds of Lactobacillus plantarum strains, eliminated 99%, and carefully selected a few strains. The efficacy performance is so different. We are busy using the nutritive genome technology to discuss this issue in depth.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA RECOGNIZED BY SCIENTISTS AS PROBIOTICS?

There are five common lactic acid bacteria species: A bacteria, B bacteria, C bacteria, LP bacteria and LGG bacteria. Let’s learn about the efficacy of various lactic acid bacteria:

LACTIC ACID BACTERIA LIVING ENVIRONMENT

Lactic acid bacteria have particularly strict nutritional requirements. In addition to sugars used as energy sources, lactic acid bacteria require a variety of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. to maintain their growth. Lactic acid bacteria are facultative anaerobic bacteria that prefer to grow in an anaerobic state, but will not die due to contact with oxygen. In general, in nature, as long as there are animals and plants, there will be enough nutrients for lactic acid bacteria to survive. All animal and plant secretions (such as milk, tree sap, etc.), or the accumulation of debris, are suitable places for lactic acid bacteria to grow. Maybe there are other aerobic microorganisms growing on the surface of these deposits, but the oxygen-deficient part inside is the world of lactic acid bacteria. More specifically, suitable places for the growth of lactic acid bacteria include milk, digestive tract, vagina, feces, etc. for animals, and nectar, tree sap, plant debris, and damaged parts of fruits for plants. In the various fermented foods (such as kimchi, soy sauce, etc.) produced by humans, there are also many lactic acid bacteria that play an active role. These lactic acid bacteria have a great influence on the flavor and quality of the products.

There are many lactic acid bacteria in the human digestive tract, and the number and type will change with age. For example, in the intestinal tract of young children, there are more bifidobacteria, while the elderly have more lactic acid bacteria.

CURRENT SITUATION OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA IN FOODS IN THE MARKET

The largest application of lactic acid bacteria in the food field is the manufacture of fermented dairy products. In addition, lactic acid bacteria are often added in the manufacture of various ham and other meat products to enhance preservation and flavor. In the manufacturing process of various pickled products, soy sauce, and bread, lactic acid bacteria are also used. play an important role.

A variety of vegetables, fruits, grains and beans are mixed with lactic acid bacteria, yeast and other microorganisms for a long time to ferment and mature, and the products made are very popular in recent years. In my country’s market, there are also a variety of such products in circulation, many of which are named “enzymes”, such as Dagao Enzyme, Shou Enzyme, etc. Such products are regarded as health food, emphasizing the functions of adjusting the intestines, protecting the liver, preventing cancer, strengthening the body, and enhancing immunity.

Thousands of “Lactic Acid Bacteria” exist in nature and are widely used in fermented foods. They Only a few special strains that have been carefully selected and are really beneficial to health can be called “probiotics”. “. Therefore, the biggest difference between probiotics and lactic acid bacteria is whether they can benefit us. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) say that when looking at probiotics, you need to see the strain level. When a strain name is written, the research team behind the strain has to be responsible.