PROPYLENE GLYCOL AIDED DESORPTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF LACTOBACILLUS REUTERI

ABSTRACT

An important mechanism of action of probiotics is adhesion. Adhesion refers to the ability of a microorganism, such as a probiotic, to attach to a surface, such as the lining of the gut. The ability of probiotics to adhere to the gut lining is important because it allows them to colonize the digestive tract and establish a beneficial presence there. There are several factors that can affect a probiotic's ability to adhere to the gut, including the specific strain of bacteria and the environment of the digestive tract. This study seeks to study the qualitative and quantitative effects of propylene glycol on the desorption of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The growth inhibitory effect of propylene glycol on the various Lactobacillus species was determined. The effect of various concentrations (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 12.5%) of propylene glycol on the desorption of the adhered Lactobacillus organism from different adsorbents was also carried out. Propylene glycol displayed no growth inhibitory effect at the different concentrations used on the various Lactobacillus organisms used. Propylene glycol at 50% concentration desorbed the most amount of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (1×109 cfu/ml, 1×108 cfu/ml and 3×108 cfu/ml respectively) from cotton wool as compared to the other adsorbents used.