Bhavasha Ramlugan
Welcome to the wonderous world of Lactobacillus brevis. A handy little microorganism that may be playing more of a role in your everyday life than you would think.
Some research is currently being done to investigate the potential role that Lactobacillus brevis could play in oral health, more specifically the ability of L. brevis to produce certain antimicrobial compounds and extracellular polysaccharides as well as its capability to adhere to oral epithelial cells without resulting in the demineralization of the tooth enamel. Check out this article.
(https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12866-018-1369-3)
Research done in 2012 shows that under the right set of conditions L.brevis produces an antimicrobial compound which has an inhibitory effect on other bacteria such as E.coli and staphylococcus, both of which produce toxins which are harmful to humans.
(https://annalsmicrobiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s13213-012-0447-2)
Research done in 2018 , discovered the incredible ability of two strains of L. Brevis to be a great natural source of GABA , an anti-diabetic factor shown to be beneficial for the treatment of diabetes , and is therefore recommended for the ongoing treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Check out this article !
(https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/7356173/#conclusions)
Anticancer research conducted in 2016, discovered the ability of a certain strain of L.brevis which produces a polyphosphate (Poly P) to be able to cause apoptosis in cancer cells. Poly P could be used as an antitumor drug with fewer side effects, to prevent colon cancer growth in patients.
(https://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/anticanres/36/2/591.full.pdf)
Lactobacillus brevis is a gram- positive , rod-shaped , non-spore forming lactic acid bacterium. It is a part of the fermentation process of many products that we consume everyday such as bread, cheese and wine. Interestingly, it also has the capability to spoil food. whether friend or foe, Lactobacillus brevis sure is impressive.
(https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Lactobacillus_brevis) (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/lactobacillus-brevis)
In the making of wine Lactobacillus brevis results in the consumption of pentose as well as the production of ethanol together with other sub-products. In the making of cheese, it has the ability to convert l(+)-lactate to d(−)-lactate, which then reacts with calcium to result in the formation of calcium lactate crystals, which can be seen as the speckled dots in ripened cheddar.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/lactobacillus-brevis)
L. brevis poses no risk to humans as it is not a pathogen and there have been no cases directly related to L. brevis causing illness or disease in humans. Instead, L. brevis serves as an excellent probiotic and there has been research done which shows that it offers a variety of other factors improving the well being of humans.
(https://www.healthline.com/health/lactobacillus-brevis)
](https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Lactobacillus_brevis)
