Studies on the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri, Bifidobacterium and Escherichia coli as affected by prebiotic extracted from citrus peel

The objective of this research was to check the effect of prebiotics extracted from citrus peels on the growth of both probiotic bacteria i.e. Lactobacillus reuteri and Bifidobacterium and enteric bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli in a milk-based model. For this purpose, the prebiotic from citrus peels was extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction and their prebiotic activity scores were calculated for two probiotic bacterial strains i.e. Lactobacillus reuteri and Bifidobacterium. Afterwards, their growth patterns were studied in a milk-based model in different concentrations of prebiotics in individual and co-culture systems of both probiotic and enteric bacteria. The results showed significant effect of prebiotic concentration on the growth of bacteria supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria and hindering the growth of E. coli. This effect was more pronounced when enteric bacteria (E. coli) were co-cultured with probiotic bacteria i.e. L. reuteri and Bifidobacterium. Similarly, the growth of E. coli was hindered when grown in co-culture of L. reuteri, Bifidobacterium and E. coli. Conclusively, the citrus peel prebiotic was found to modulate the growth of probiotic bacteria while hindering the growth of enteric bacteria.