BHUBANESWAR : In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have stumbled upon various important metabolites, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), during the genome sequencing of a new probiotic strain isolated in an ethnic fermented food of Odisha, ‘handia’.
GABA has a wide range of applications in the field of food and pharmaceuticals industry for its beneficial physiological functions like anti-anxiety, hypotensive, and diuretic effects.
Scientists from five institutes of repute who have conducted the first-ever genome sequencing of the bacteria - Levilactobacillus brevis ILSH3 (H3) found in handia detected a comprehensive set of attributes that make it a promising candidate for use as a probiotic.
L brevis is known for its ability to produce metabolites such as lactic acid and acetic acid, which have antimicrobial properties, besides the flavour compounds like diacetyl and acetoin. Various genes pertaining to the probiotic potential have been identified in the genome, which showed zero matches against any pathogenic families.
The metabolite profiling revealed presence of essential amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, antimicrobial molecules, immunomodulatory molecules, and flavour/aroma-enhancing compounds.
A scientist involved in the study said an array of 25 distinct genes, encompassing diverse transporters, molecular proteins, and transcriptional regulators that can mitigate the adverse effects induced by low pH conditions have been identified in the genome.
“An important metabolite detected in the bacteria is GABA, which is a key inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of mammals. Various immunomodulatory genes having potential to stimulate the host immune responses have also been found,” he said.