Assessment of the Probiotic and Technological Potential of Three Strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus Isolated from Local Dairy Products from Western Algeria

Background: Lactic acid bacteria are widely used in the manufacture of fermented dairy products, due to their specific metabolic activities. Methods: The main approach of this study is to evaluate the probiotic and technological performance of 03 strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus isolated from local dairy products from western Algeria. The evaluation was based, on the one hand, on their in vitro resistance to acidic stress, low pH and bile salts SB, their tolerance to antibiotics and, on the other hand, on their ability to ferment and lactic coagulate cheese milk. Result: Their ability to withstand the acidic stresses of low pH (2) and SB (1%) clearly demonstrated that the Lactobacillus acidophilus species identified is probiotic. The strain’s ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria was confirmed by its interaction with pathogenic strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus). The 03 strains showed good technological potential, either in culture alone or in mixtures, confirming its crucial dual role in dairy processing and as a probiotic agent with health benefits. Algerian dairy products can be considered a diverse microbial ecosystem and a source of probiotic lactic microflora with nutritional, preventive and therapeutic efficacy.