Effect of Lactobacillus fermentation on the structural feature, physicochemical property, and bioactivity of plant and fungal polysaccharides: A review

Background: Polysaccharides are important nutritional and functional elements, especially those from edible plants and fungi. However, bioactivities of plant and fungal polysaccharides are usually low, and they cannot meet actual needs. Apart from physical, chemical, and enzymatic modifications, microbial fermentation is also a safe, green, promising, and preferred strategy. Scope and approach: As a probiotic with long application history, Lactobacillus has been widely used to ferment food and modify bioactive ingredients such as plant and fungal polysaccharides. Lactobacillus fermentation can not only modify structural features and physicochemical properties of plant and fungal polysaccharides, but also enhance their bioactivities and applications. Key findings and conclusions: By summarizing relevant literature in last 5 years, Lactobacillus fermentation is found to remarkably improve bioactivities of plant and fungal polysaccharides, which is more and more favored and valued by scholars. Meanwhile, four strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Lactobacillus casei) are usually used to modify plant and fungal polysaccharides, and three structural features (molecular weight, monosaccharide, and morphology) are mainly affected. This work can not only provide a green modification method on plant and fungal polysaccharides with Lactobacillus fermentation, but also help to develop fermented functional beverages or food involving Lactobacillus directly.