Development of a lactic acid bacteria consortium with antioxidant properties

Oxidative stress arising during the production and storage of food products negatively impacts their quality and safety. The study assessed the biotechnological potential of p. Lactobacillus spp. lactic acid bacteria, with a focus on their antioxidant properties, followed by the development of a consortium to enhance the quality of fermented products. It was established that all investigated strains exhibit antiradical activity, with L. casei 32 (84.7%) and L. plantarum 24 (73.2%) demon-strating the highest levels compared to other lactic acid bacteria. L. acidophilus 9 exhibited comparatively low activity (29.1%). The intracellular extract (57.3%) and culture supernatant (52.1%) of L. casei 32 had the highest reducing power. Based on the assessment of the biotechnological potential of the lactic acid bacteria, the strains L. fermentum 10, L. aci-dophilus 9, L. casei 32, L. plantarum 24, and L. plantarum 131 were identified as the most promising for application in the production of fermented products. Analysis of the co-cultivation of lactic acid bacteria revealed the biocompatibility of the L. casei 32, L. fermentum 10, and L. plantarum 24 strains, enabling the formation of consortia with high biotechno-logical potential. Consortium № 4, containing L. fermentum 10, L. casei 32, and L. plantarum 24 in a 1:1:2 ratio, demon-strated the highest levels of acidifying, enzymatic, and antioxidant activity, and can be recommended for application in food biotechnology for the development of innovative products with antioxidant properties.