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Dietary influence of kefir on microbial activities in the mouse bowel
Author(s) -
Marquina D.,
Santos A.,
Corpas I.,
Muñoz J.,
Zazo J.,
Peinado J.M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2002.01155.x
Subject(s) - kefir , clostridia , lactic acid , bacteria , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , fermentation , yeast , food science , fermented milk products , kluyveromyces marxianus , acetic acid bacteria , biochemistry , saccharomyces cerevisiae , genetics
Aims: In this work the microflora present in kefir, a fermented milk product, was studied together with the effect of kefir administration on different groups of indigenous bacteria of mouse bowel. Methods and Results: Kefir microflora was composed of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeasts. Yeast population was composed of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , S. unisporus , Candida kefir , Kluyveromyces marxianus and K. lactis . The streptococci levels in kefir treated mice increased by 10‐fold and the levels of sulfite‐reducing clostridia decreased by 100‐fold. The number of lactic acid bacteria increased significantly. Conclusions: The administration of kefir significantly increased the lactic acid bacteria counts in the mucosa of the bowel. Ingestion of kefir specifically lowered microbial populations of Enterobacteriaceae and clostridia. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first long‐term study about the effects of the kefir administration on the intestinal microflora of mice.