Isolation and functional evaluation of probiotic bacteria from goat milk: A small ruminant-derived resource for animal and human health applications
Goat milk, a key product of small ruminant farming, harbors a diverse microbiota that may serve as a valuable source of probiotics with health-promoting properties. This study aimed to isolate and characterize probiotic bacteria from raw goat milk collected from traditional goat-rearing systems and evaluate their potential for application in both animal health management and human functional food development. A total of 32 bacterial isolates were screened through in vitro assays for core probiotic attributes, including Gram’s staining, catalase activity, tolerance to gastric acidity (pH 2.0–3.0) and bile salts (0.3%), antimicrobial activity against common enteric pathogens, auto-aggregation potential, and epithelial cell adhesion. Molecular identification using 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed several promising strains, notably Lactobacillus helveticus, Heyndrickxia coagulans, Bacillus aerolacticus, and Bacillus subtilis. These isolates exhibited strong survival in simulated gastrointestinal conditions and displayed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. All selected strains were non-hemolytic, indicating their safety for oral use. The results highlight raw goat milk as a valuable small ruminant-derived reservoir of safe and functionally potent probiotic bacteria. These strains hold promise for development as functional feed additives to support gut health and immunity in small ruminants as well as ingredients in human health-promoting dairy products.
Kandati K, Borelli DP, Buddolla V, Nannepaga JS. Isolation and functional evaluation of probiotic bacteria from goat milk: A small ruminant-derived resource for animal and human health applications. J Appl Biol Biotech 2025. Article in Press. http://doi.org/10.7324/JABB.2026.264555
1. Sánchez B, Delgado S, Blanco-Míguez A, Lourenço A, Gueimonde M, Margolles A. Probiotics, gut microbiota, and their influence on host health and disease. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(1):1600240. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201600240
2. Maftei NM, Raileanu CR, Balta AA, Ambrose L, Boev M, Marin DB, et al. The potential impact of probiotics on human health: An update on their health-promoting properties. Microorganisms. 2024;12(2):234. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020234
3. Kandati K, Reddy AS, Nannepaga JS, Viswanath B. The influence of probiotics in reducing cisplatin-induced toxicity in Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Curr Microbiol. 2023;80(4):109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03203-5
4. El Far MS, Zakaria AS, Kassem MA, Edward EA. Characterization of probiotics isolated from dietary supplements and evaluation of metabiotic-antibiotic combinations as promising therapeutic options against antibiotic-resistant pathogens using time-kill assay. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024;24(1):303. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04582-3
5. Leghari AA, Shahid S, Farid MS, Saeed M, Hameed H, Anwar S, et al. Beneficial aspects of probiotics, strain selection criteria and microencapsulation using natural biopolymers to enhance gastric survival: A review. Life Sci J. 2021;18(1):30-47. https://doi.org/10.7537/marslsj180121.05
6. Islam MZ, Uddin ME, Rahman MT, Islam MA, Harun-Ur-Rashid M. Isolation and characterization of dominant lactic acid bacteria from raw goat milk: Assessment of probiotic potential and technological properties. Small Ruminant Res. 2021;205:106532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2021.106532
7. Ghosh T, Beniwal A, Semwal A, Navani NK. Mechanistic insights into probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria associated with ethnic fermented dairy products. Front Microbiol. 2019;10:502. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00502
8. Chen L, Bagnicka E, Chen H, Shu G. Health potential of fermented goat dairy products: Composition comparison with fermented cow milk, probiotics selection, health-benefits and mechanisms. Food Funct. 2023;14(8):3423-36. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3fo00413a
9. Lima MJ, Teixeira-Lemos E, Oliveira J, Teixeira-Lemos LP, Monteiro AM, Costa JM. Nutritional and health profile of goat products: Focus on health benefits of goat milk. In: Goat Science. London: InTechOpen; 2018. p. 189-232. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.70321
10. Bentahar MC, Benabdelmoumene D, Robert V, Dahmouni S, Qadi WS, Bengharbi Z, et al. Evaluation of probiotic potential and functional properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from Dhan, traditional Algerian goat milk butter. Foods. 2024;13(23):3781. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233781
11. Tran KD, Le-Thi L, Vo HH, Dinh-Thi TV, Nguyen-Thi T, Phan NH, et al. Probiotic properties and safety evaluation in the invertebrate model host Galleria mellonella of the Pichia kudriavzevii YGM091 strain isolated from fermented goat milk. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2024;16(4):1288-303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-023-10114-1
12. Castro-López C, Garcia HS, Martinez-Avila GCG, González-Córdova AF, Vallejo-Cordoba B, Hernández-Mendoza A. Genomics-based approaches to identify and predict the health-promoting and safety activities of promising probiotic strains-a probiogenomics review. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2021;108:148-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.12.017
13. Ikombayev T, Ospanova A, Omarova A, Horácková Š, Tuganbay A, Kassenova G, et al. Functional properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from raw goat milk and cottage cheese. J Agric Food Res. 2025;21:101822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101822
14. Siriwardhana J, Rasika DM, Yapa D, Weerathilake WA, Priyashantha H. Enhancing probiotic survival and quality of fermented goat milk beverages with bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit pulp. Food Chem Adv. 2024;5:100792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focha.2024.100792
15. Nicolas GM, Ma S. Effects of Heyndrickxia coagulans probiotics in the human gut microbiota and their health implications: A review. Food Wellness. 2025;1(1):100003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodw.2025.100003
16. Cappuccino JG, Sherman N. Microbiology: A Laboratory Manual. San Francisco: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings; 2005. p. 507.
17. Collado MC, Meriluoto J, Salminen S. Role of commercial probiotic strains against human pathogen adhesion to intestinal mucus. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2007;45(4):454-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765x.2007.02212.x
18. Tuomola EM, Ouwehand AC, Salminen SJ. The effect of probiotic bacteria on the adhesion of pathogens to human intestinal mucus. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1999;26(2):137-42. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695x.1999.tb01381.x
19. DuBois M, Gilles KA, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F. Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances. Anal Chem. 1956;28(3):350-6. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac60111a017
20. Cruickshank R, Duguid JP, Marmion BP, Swian RA. Medical Microbiology Churchill Livingstone. Vol. 11. New York: Elsevier; 1975. p. 585.
21. Bindu A, Lakshmidevi N. Identification and in vitro evaluation of probiotic attributes of lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented food sources. Arch Microbiol. 2021;203:579-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-020-02037-0
22. Kaewarsar E, Chaiyasut C, Lailerd N, Makhamrueang N, Peerajan S, Sirilun S. Effects of synbiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium breve, and prebiotics on the growth stimulation of beneficial gut microbiota. Foods. 2023;12(20):3847. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12203847
23. Bisht V, Das B, Hussain A, Kumar V, Navani NK. Understanding of probiotic origin antimicrobial peptides: A sustainable approach ensuring food safety. NPJ Sci Food. 2024;8(1):67. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-024-00304-8
24. Müller M, Mayrhofer S, Sudjarwo WA, Gibisch M, Tauer C, Berger E, et al. Antimicrobial peptide plectasin recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli disintegrates cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria, as proven by transmission electron and atomic force microscopy. J Bacteriol. 2025;207:e00456-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.00456-24
25. Ali MA, Kamal MM, Rahman MH, Siddiqui MN, Haque MA, Saha KK, et al. Functional dairy products as a source of bioactive peptides and probiotics: Current trends and future prospectives. J Food Sci Technol. 2022;59(4):1263-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-05091-8
26. Pourjafar H, Ansari F, Sadeghi A, Samakkhah SA, Jafari SM. Functional and health-promoting properties of probiotics’ exopolysaccharides, Isolation, characterization, and applications in the food industry. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(26):8194-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2047883
27. Vinderola G, Gueimonde M, Gomez-Gallego C, Delfederico L, Salminen S. Correlation between in vitro and in vivo assays in selection of probiotics from traditional species of bacteria. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2017;68:83-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2017.08.005
28. Ma T, Shen X, Shi X, Sakandar HA, Quan K, Li Y, et al. Targeting gut microbiota and metabolism as the major probiotic mechanism-an evidence-based review. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2023;138:178-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2023.06.013
Year
Month
In-vitro investigation of cholesterol removal, ß-galactosidase synthesis, antioxidant, and antidiabetic potential of probiotic organisms
Jahanvee Chanpura, Shilpa GupteBioactive compounds as plant-based functional foods for human health: current scenario and future challenges
Rajeshwari Negi, Babita Sharma, Tawseefa Jan, Tanvir Kaur, Sofia Sharief Khan, Neelam Yadav, Ashutosh Kumar Rai, Sarvesh Rustagi, Sheikh Shreaz, Divjot Kour, Naseer Ahmed, Puneet Negi, Sohini Chowdhury, Monit Kapoor, Sangram Singh, Ajar Nath YadavIsolation and characterization of keratinolytic bacteria from poultry waste soils of Himachal Pradesh
Richa Vema, Vijay KumarIsolation and characterization of bacteria possessing Osmotolerance activity from phylloplane of Centella asiatica
Sonal Gupta, Ashwini A. WaooAssessment of biodegradation potential of lead-resistant bacteria isolated from polluted sites of Gomati River in Lucknow
Afreen Shahid, Farhan Ahmad, Chitranshu Pandey, Sunil Kumar, Aisha KamalEnhanced quinalphos degradation using immobilized cells of Enterobacter cloacae isolated from farm land soil of Vazhayur Panchayath, Malappuram District, Kerala
Nhattuketty Krishnan Shainy, Asha Bhakthavalsalam, Shabanamol Subaidabeevi, Farha Baramy, Aswathi Ayiliath, Kulandhaivel MurugesanIdentification and pathogenicity assessment of bacterial strain P1 isolated from the gut of diseased Eri silkworm, Samia ricini Donovan
Dimpi Moni Kalita, Sunayan Bardoloi, Sanghamitra Saharia, Shibani Kalita, Sanjana Sharmin, Dhirunabh Swargiary, Tapashi Sutradhar, Kakali DekaScreening of synergistic and antimicrobial effect of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) tolerant bacteria Bacillus cereus
Subhayan Dutta, Khaleda Firdous, Swati Chakraborty