Fermentation of pomegranate juice by lactic acid bacteria and its biological effect on mice fed a high-fat diet

This study investigated the ability of Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum CRL2051 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CRL2030, two lactic acid bacteria isolated from fruits, to ferment pomegranate juice to produce beverages with extended shelf life and functional properties. Lactic acid bacteria consumed glucose and fructose as carbon sources, producing mainly lactic acid. Both strains were initially grown in juice at 30 °C for 48 h, then refrigerated at 4 °C for 28 days. During fermentation and cold storage, the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were conserved in fermented pomegranate juices. The functionality studies of the fermented beverages administered to C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet were evaluated over 6 weeks. Pomegranate juice supplementation led to a marked improvement in glucose and triglycerides serum profile, which decreased around 40% and up to 48%, respectively, and counteracted fat deposition and body weight gain. The high-fat diet treatment significantly incremented the aspartate aminotransferase activity in the liver, whereas fermented pomegranate juice consumption slightly reduced it. Liver histological changes associated with a high-fat diet were significantly reverted in juice-treated animals. Our findings evidenced the biological benefits of a novel functional beverage obtained by lactic fermentation of pomegranate juice; this functional drink may protect against weight gain, liver damage, and dyslipidemia induced by a high-fat diet consumption.

Authors thank the grants from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT, PICT 2019-1697 and PICT 2019-0037), Secretaría de Ciencia, Arte e Innovación Tecnológica de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (PIUNT 26/G634), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, PIP 691), and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, i-COOP-2021-COOPB20618), which funded this research, but also the valuable help of Dr. Gastón Porrieux with the HPLC analysis.

Peer reviewed