Evaluation of the probiotic, anti-bacterial, anti-biofilm, and safety properties of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei B31-2

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei is commonly present in the gut flora of healthy individuals and in various fermented foods, such as yogurt, and other dairy items. This strain is frequently incorporated into dietary supplements and functional foods. In this study, L. paracasei B31-2 was isolated from local yogurt, and its probiotic, anti-microbial, anti-biofilm, and safety properties were investigated. The L. paracasei B31-2 exhibited robust resilience to acidic conditions, bile salts, and the challenges of the gastrointestinal environment. Its cell surface hydrophobicity measured at 55.42%, along with notable co-aggregation (25.80%), auto-aggregation (42.50%), and adhesion capacity (12.60%). Moreover, L. paracasei B31-2 did not exhibit any hemolytic/DNase effect and did not generate biogenic amines. The strain exhibited varying susceptibility levels, with the highest susceptibility to nitrofurantoin (27.50 mm) and the lowest to ampicillin (13.60 mm). Treatment with cell-free supernatants of L. paracasei B31-2 resulted in a reduction of biofilm formation by Listeria monocytogenes. The second section of this study evaluated the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model for predicting probiotic viability. The results demonstrated that the GPR model could predict probiotic viability with high accuracy. The findings suggest that L. paracasei B31-2 has promising potential for health-improving purposes, potentially offering protective effects against specific pathogens and contributing to gastrointestinal health.