ANTI OXIDANT PROPERTIES OF PROBIOTICS ISOLATED FROM COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOURCES

Reports from human studies indicated that Lactobacillus rhamnosus exerted strong antioxidant activity in situations of elevated physical stress. This has benefitted Athletes in the sports arena as these individuals are exposed to oxidative stress during their exercises and activities, hence studies on determining the antioxidant activities of probiotics might benefit humans undergoing stress related activities. The ability of probiotics possessing antioxidant activities will assume greater importance if this hypothesis is tested, since probiotics with antioxidant properties can increase the antioxidant levels and neutralize the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in such individuals. Probiotics are defined as viable microorganisms sufficient amounts of which reach the intestine in active state and exert positive health effects by improving gut health. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy various probiotic bacteria such as Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bacillus subtilis isolated from various commercial and domestic sources using standard probiotic testing assays.In-vitro studies on Anti-oxidant activities using standard protocols have shown that Bacillus coagulans had the highest (94%) DPPH activity as compared to other probiotics. This investigation could determine that these few test organisms with their additional anti-oxidant properties could be considered as value added useful probiotics due to their ability for not only acid tolerance and bile resistant properties but also having useful antioxidant properties, therefore qualifying as safe commercial probiotic products.