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The capability of ten commercial fibers of selectively stimulating the growth of four Bifidobacterium strains were studied with the purpose of developing a synbiotic product for infants. Two galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), one fructo-oligosaccharide (sc-FOS), four inulins with different polymerization degree (DP), a gluco-oligosaccharide, an arabinogalactan and a hydrolyzed guar gum were used (10 gl −1 ). The prebiotic score was calculated comparing the capability of the fibers of stimulating the growth of bifidobacteria compared to infant pathogens. GOS, sc-FOS, low DP inulin (oligofructose) and the gluco-oligosaccharide could stimulate growth. However, the fibers showing the highest prebiotic score were oligofructose (Orafti ® HIS), sc-FOS (Actilight ® 950P) and the GOS Vivinal ® . Lyophilized strain survival in simulated gastro-intestinal conditions was also assayed to define suitable ways of administration. Survival in gastric juice at pH 2.5 was poor, whereas it was higher at pH 4, a value closer to newborn pH. Microencapsulation in a lipid matrix ensured strain survival also at pH 2.5. Survival to 1 gl −1 bile salts was acceptable. The results allowed to conclude that Bifidobacterium breve B632 strain, in a lyophilized or microencapsulated form, has the potential for use in synbiotic products targeted to infants coupled to a mixture of GOS and FOS or oligofructose.

Background: Knowledge about the interplay between diet, microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) so far exists. Moreover, raising evidence suggests their influence on the pathogenesis of the celiac disease (CD). Objective: Our aim was to study and evaluate differences in the composition of selected bacterial groups and SCFAs in faeces of healthy and CD children. Methods: The study included 41 children with CD, 8 newly discovered, not treated children (ND) and 33 children on gluten-free diet for more than 1 year (GFD) and 17 healthy children as a Control group. Bacterial communities and SCFAs in faecal samples were determined by real-time PCR and HPLC analysis, respectively. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between GFD and ND patients. GFD patients compared to Controls had significantly lower Lactobacillus spp. (p = 0.027) and Enterobacteriaceae family group (p = 0.003), but higher propionic acid (p = 0.034). Acetic (p = 0.027) and propionic acid (p = 0.014) were significantly higher in ND patients compared to Controls. Lactobacillus spp. negatively correlated with total SCFAs in the Control and the ND group. In ND and GFD patients, Lactobacillus spp. negatively correlated with Clostridium sensu stricto cluster I. A very strong positive correlation (p = 0.002) between Enterobacteriaceae family and Bacteroides fragilis was found in GFD patients. Conclusions: Changes in microbiota and SCFAs are clearly related to the pathogenesis of CD. As being potential pro-inflammatory agents in CD, acetic and propionic acid may serve as important disease-related markers. Their origin in relation to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium is debatable and still need to be further investigated. Enterobacteriaceae family might not be directly addressed to pathogenesis of CD.

Many definitions have been proposed for the term “probiotic”. The more widely accepted one is “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” (FAO/WHO, 2002:1). This definition implies that a health effect must be demonstrated for the probiotic. Recently the economic success and exciting prospects of probiotic products have rapidly increased researches on different species of probiotic (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, etc.). Genomics, comparative and functional genomic investigations have been conducted to gain information about the functionality of probiotics (Pfeiler, 2007:546) even if some insights of probiotic mechanism remain unknown. The following paragraphs will provides some insights in the taxonomy, role in health and disease and safety, aspects related to application on food and regulation about probiotics especially in relation to bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

In this work, a new CE method with diode array detection (DAD) was developed for the monitoring and quantitation of flavonoids in different beans treated and untreated with UV-B radiation. Flavonoid concentration was monitored in UV-B-treated and untreated sprouts of three common beans (Zolfino ecotype, cv. Verdone, cv. Lingua di Fuoco) and one soybean (cv. Pacific). After acid hydrolysis of extracts, the CE-DAD method provides reproducible quantitative determinations of daidzein, glycitein, genistein, and kaempferol at ppm level in these natural matrices within a relatively short time (less than 16 min). Total flavonoid content determined by CE-DAD was 159 +/- 8, 26 +/- 2, 13 +/- 1, and 1.3 +/- 0.3 microg/g fresh weight for untreated sprouts of Pacific soybean, Verdone bean, Zolfino bean, and Lingua di Fuoco bean, respectively. UV-B treatment caused no significant quantitative effect on Pacific soybean sprouts, whereas it enhanced the total isoflavone content by 1.5, 1.8, and 3.2-fold in Verdone, Zolfino, and Lingua di Fuoco beans, respectively. The proposed method shows (i) the potentialities of bean sprouts as a natural source of bioactive compounds (antioxidants); (ii) the technological role of UV-B treatment for sprout isoflavone enrichment; and (iii) the good capabilities of CE-DAD to monitor this process.

Research on probiotics and prebiotics for use in infants is very active and results on their efficacy to prevent and combat several diseases are at present available. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are considered beneficial bacteria for the gut, the former being the predominant group of healthy breast-fed newborns. One of the major area of probiotic research in children has been the treatment and prevention of diarrhoea. Moreover, a large number of infant pathologies, both enteric (infantile colics, necrotizing enterocolitis, coeliac disease) and not strictly enteric (allergies, obesity, neurological disease) have revealed promising preventative and therapeutic effects of probiotics, although these applications need additional experimental evidences. Recent studies have shown that probiotic strain characteristics are crucial to reach a targeted therapeutic effect. One of the major aspect affecting the gut microbial composition of breast-fed neonates is the presence of oligosaccharides in breast milk. These molecules exert a prebiotic effect which is crucial for the development of a healthy gut microbiota. Research studies have been focused on the selection of fibres possessing a prebiotic role similar to human milk oligosaccharides. Galactooligosaccharides and fructoligosaccharides are abundantly used in infant formula, frequently as mixtures of the two molecules. Several studies have shown that the capability of stimulating beneficial bacteria and of shaping the gut microbiota is similar to that of breast milk. On the contrary, studies regarding the use of prebiotics in infants for the prevention of allergies showed contradictory results. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that children are a very important target, if not the main one, for probiotic and prebiotic administration and the European industry is aware of that.

Introduction: The infant gut microbiota composition is established in a relatively short time during the first two years of life. In particular birth represents a sensitive checkpoint to the future microbiota development which will exert a strong influence on human health. Several factors are known to influence the early microbial colonization of the gut in newborns as the mode of delivery, maternal microbiota of intestine, vagina and epidermis, type of infant feeding, gestational age at birth, hospitalization after birth and the use of antibiotics during the first few months of life. Conversely, the use of antibiotics on the mother during labour, referred to as intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP), has been scarcely investigated, although this practice is routinely used in the group B Streptococcus (GBS) positive women. GBS infection remains one of the major causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality although deaths have declined significantly in the last decade (2001-2011) due to the introduction of IAP. This work is therefore aimed at verifying whether IAP can influence the main microbial groups of the newborn gut microbiota at an early stage of microbiota formation. Methods: 26 infants whose mothers gave positive results to GBS and subjected to IAP with ampicillin (IAP group) were compared to 26 infants whose mothers gave negative results to GBS (control group) were enrolled. Faecal samples were obtained at the age of 1 week. Real-time PCR on DNA extracted from faeces was used to quantify selected microbial groups (Lactobacillus spp., Bidobacterium spp., Bacteroides fragilis group, C. difficile and E.coli). In order to investigate the potential perturbations within the Bidobacterium population that were observed with the real time PCR, PCR-DGGE analyses using genus-specific primers targeted to bifidobacteria were carried out both on the IAP samples and on the controls. Results: The real-time PCR analyses showed that the gut microbiota of the IAP group had a significantly lower counts of bifidobacteria (P= 0.001) with respect to the control group. The other microbial genera and species analysed were not significantly affected by the IAP. Furthermore PCR-DGGE analysis revealed that bifidobacteria were affected by IAP not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. In fact, IAP determined a decrement in the frequency of B. breve (P= 0.003, 25% reduction), B. bifidum (P= 0.003, 25% reduction) and B. dentium (P= 0.001, 25% reduction) with respect to the control group. On the other hand, B. pseudocatenulatum, B. pseudolongum and B. longum seemed to be less influenced by the treatment. Discussion: This study has shown for the first time that IAP has a significant influence on the early bifidobacterial pattern of newborns, both quantitatively and qualitatively. However, the obtained results on a larger number of IAP newborns and the possibility of microbial restoration over time should be considered in future studies.

Flavonoids are plant derived compounds mainly present as O-glycosides. They are hydrolyzed by gut microbial enzymes to their aglycons, which represent the bioavailable and bioactive form. In this work the capability of a Bifidobacterium strain ( Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum B7003) of being used as a probiotic starter culture to obtain fermented legume milks with an increased concentration of flavonoids in their aglycone form was studied. B7003 strain can effectively bioconvert glycosylated flavonoids while fermenting soybean or common bean derived milks. Conversely, a strain used as negative control ( Bifidobacterium longum B7254) could grow on the milks but had low activity in flavonoid bioconversion. B7003 strain possesses basic safety properties, the capability of adhering to gut epithelial cells and showed resistance to simulated food processing conditions. Thus, B. pseudocatenulatum B7003 complies well with a new vision of probiotics, which, beside benefits deriving from gut transit, have additional functional properties, such as the high bioavailability of flavonoids in their aglycone form. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd., The study was funded by the University of Bologna, RFO Program number J61J10000790001

This review is aimed at describing the most recent advances in the gut microbiota composition of newborns and infants with a particular emphasis on bifidobacteria. The newborn gut microbiota is quite unstable, whereas after weaning, it becomes more stable and gets closer to the typical adult microbiota. The newborn and infant gut microbiota composition is impaired in several enteric and non-enteric pathologies. The core of this review is the description of the most recent documented applications of bifidobacteria to newborns and infants for their prevention and treatment. Acute diarrhea is the most studied disease for which bifidobacteria are applied with great success, Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium breve being the most applied species. Moreover, the most recent updates in the use of bifidobacteria for the prevention and treatment of pathologies typical of newborns, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, colics, and streptococcal infections, are presented. In addition, a number of not strictly enteric pathologies have in recent years evidenced a strict correlation with an aberrant gut microbiota in infants, in particular showing a reduced level of bifidobacteria. These diseases represent new potential opportunities for probiotic applications. Among them, allergic diseases, celiac disease, obesity, and neurologic diseases are described in this review. The preliminary use of bifidobacteria in in vitro systems and animal models is summarized as well as preliminary in vivo studies. Only after validation of the results via human clinical trials will the potentiality of bifidobacteria in the prevention and cure of these pathologies be definitely assessed.

The postnatal period is the critical phase for the formation of the microbiota of the human gut. Bifidobacteria are among the first colonizers in breast-fed infants, whereas the microbiota of bottle-fed infants is different and contains higher counts of Bacteroides, Clostridium and Enterobaceriaceae that are the main responsible for bacterial infant gastrointestinal disorders like diarrhea (Penders et al., 2006). Moreover, recent evidences have indicated gas-forming coliform bacteria and C. difficile as a possible cause of infantile colics, which are widely diffused among newborns (Savino et al., 2009). Several studies have focused on the role of bifidobacteria as antagonist of pathogens in the gut. Therefore, there is a great interest in selecting Bifidobacterium strains to be added to formula-fed infants to improve the intestinal microbial balance. The aim of this work is to use in vitro assays to select bifidobacteria to be used as probiotics in newborns for the treatment of enteric disease. 46 strains of bifidobacteria, isolated from infant faeces, were screened to determine their capability of inhibiting potential pathogenic bacteria in infants by using the spot agar test, which evidenced the inhibition of indicator bacteria by the Bifidobacterium strains. Furthermore, inhibitory potency of bifidobacteria neutralized supernatants was investigated. The 16 strains showing the highest antimicrobial activity were subjected to further investigations, such as the susceptibility to 13 antibiotics to determine MIC breakpoints. Additionally, bacterial adhesion to intestinal epithelium was studied in different experimental in vitro models involving human intestinal epithelial and macrophage cell lines. The strains were also compared for their cytotoxic effects, their ability to stimulate the non specific immune response in the gut as well as the metabolic activity in the human functional cell model. The spot agar test of the selected Bifidobacterium strains against Escherichia coli, C. difficile, Salmonella enteriditis and two gas-forming coliforms isolated from colicky infants, identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae , evidenced that a number of the assayed strains were capable of inhibiting a large array of pathogens. Ampicillin, kanamicym and amoxicillin resistances were found to be widely diffused among Bifidobacterium strains, whereas a number of strains possessing sensitivity to the other antibiotics assayed could be evidenced. All bacterial strains examined showed a good ability to adhere to polarized human epithelial cells and macrophages but some of them appeared slightly cytotoxic towards the cell monolayers at the highest bacterial concentration used (107 CFU/mL). In particular the ability to stimulate NO production in eukaryotic cells does not seem to be a common ability of member of the Bifidobacterium genus but rather of few strains, while increased H2O2 production was observed for cells stimulated with all tested strains. The results obtained allowed to identify four strains possessing strong antimicrobial activity against selected pathogens, sensitivity to the majority of the antibiotics tested and a good adhesion on human epithelial cells and no cytotoxic effects on them. These strains, belonging to the species B. breve and B. longum , are therefore potential candidates to be used for in vivo trials in newborns.

Background Wheat grains are a rich source of dietary fibres, particularly in the western human diet. Many of the health effects attributed to dietary fibres are believed to be related to their microbial fermentation in the gut. This study evaluated the ability of two potentially probiotic strains, Lactobacillus plantarum L12 and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum B7003, to ferment soluble dietary fibres (SDFs) from modern and ancient durum-type wheat grains. Results Fibre microbial utilisation was highly variable and dependent on the strain. SDFs from the varieties Svevo and Solex supported the growth of L. plantarum L12 the best, whereas those from the varieties Anco Marzio, Solex and Kamut(®) Khorasan were good carbohydrate substrates for B. pseudocatenulatum B7003. The highest prebiotic activity scores (describing the extent to which prebiotics support selective growth of probiotics) for B7003 were obtained with SDFs from the varieties Solex (0.57), Kamut(®) Khorasan (0.56) and Iride (0.55), whereas for L12 the highest scores were achieved with the varieties Orobel (0.63), Kamut(®) Khorasan (0.56) and Solex (0.53). Conclusion The present study has identified some SDFs from durum-type wheat grains as suitable prebiotic substrates for the selective proliferation of B. pseudocatenulatum B7003 and L. plantarum L12 in vitro. The results provide the basis for the potential utilisation of wheat-based prebiotics as a component of synbiotic formulations.

Bifidobacteria are well known for their health promoting properties and are widely used as probiotics for therapeutic purposes (Sanders et al., 2010). A wide literature documentation reports clinical benefits with treatment of infant gastrointestinal disease with probiotics. In addition, the supplementation of infant formula with oligosaccharides stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria in the intestine resembling the effect of breast-feeding (Boehm and Moro, 2008). A recent study in our laboratory has allowed the selection of four Bifidobacterium strains (B. breve B632, B2274 and B7840 and B. longum subsp. longum B1975) as potential probiotics for the treatment of enteric disorders in newborns such as infant colics (Aloisio et al., 2012). This work was therefore aimed at the formulation of a synbiotic product with an appropriate prebiotic fibre capable of supporting the growth of the previously selected Bifidobacterium strains. The bifidogenic potential of eleven commercial fibres was determined. The polysaccharides used included galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulins, glucooligosaccharide, an arabinogalactan and a partially hydrolised guar gum. The growth of the previously selected em>Bifidobacterium strains was evaluated by using the fibres (1% w/v) as the sole carbon source. The assay was performed incubating the bifidobacteria cultures at 37 °C under anaerobic conditions and the bacterial growth was determined by measuring A620 nm at regular intervals. Significant differences were obtained in the growth profiles of the four Bifidobacterium strains on the different fibres, which is not surprising considering that early studies on prebiotics reported that carbohydrate utilization pattern differs greatly among Bifidobacterium species and strains. A common feature was that the 4 strains could grow well on two GOS (Vivinal®GOS and Cup-Oligo®), on the FOS Actilight® and the low molecular weight inulin Orafti®HSI. In addition, B632 could also grow well on the glucooligosaccharide BioEcolians®. The efficacy of a prebiotic fibre has to be evaluated not only by studying its capability of sustaining the growth of a probiotic strain but also taking into consideration the growth stimulation of potentially harmful bacteria (Huebner et al., 2007). A prebiotic activity score was therefore calculated for the four strains on each fibre by comparing the growth of bifidobacteria with that of a mixture of coliform strains isolated from colicky infants and potentially involved in enteric diseases in newborns (E.coli, K.pneumonia, E. cloacae). The results obtained evidenced a significant prebiotic*strain interaction. The highest prebiotic scores were obtained with Orafti®HSI*B632, Orafti®HSI*B2274, Orafti®HSI*B7840 and Actilight®*B7840. These results provide a basis for the formulation of a synbiotic product for the treatment of enteric disorders in newborns. In addition, considering the high prebiotic scores obtained with Vivinal, a mixture of GOS and FOS can be assayed in further studies.

Recently, basing on consumer´s requirements, particular attention has been devoted to the development of functional food. Such is the case of food that contains probiotic microorganisms and/or prebiotic compounds that promote the growth of these microorganisms. “Espina Corona” gum (EC) is obtained from the seeds of Gleditsia amorphoides, growing in the north of Argentina. Due to its thickener ability, it is utilized together with gelatin, as additive in the manufacture of dairy products. The interaction between microorganisms and other components of the food matrix may be necessary to understand the inhibition or benefit in the growth of such microorganisms. Other gums (like guar gum) have proven prebiotic activity over different species of bifidobacteria and the great composition similarity between guar gum and EC motivates the study of the latter as a potential prebiotic in food matrices. The aim of this work was to study the ability to ferment commercial prebiotics such as Cup-Oligo® (a galactooligosaccharide, GOS), Actilight®950P (a fructooligosaccharide, FOS), Orafti®Synergy (a high solubility inulin, HSI), Orafti®Raftiline (a high polymerization inulin, HP), EC, and Gelatin (G) by different species of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli isolated from commercial dairy products and others present in the culture collection BUSCOB at Bologna University. The strains were identified according to molecular techniques (species-specific PCR and ERIC-PCR). FOS, GOS and HSI were the substrates fermented by the largest number of species. Lactobacillus casei Shirota and L. rhamnosus isolated from Yakult™ and Yomo™ products, respectively, only grew in the presence of GOS. L. rhamnosus SP1 did not use any substrates. EC and HP did not show significant effects on the growth of lactobacilli species and on the 4 strains of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis isolated from commercial products. While EC was fermented by B. animalis ssp. lactis DSM 10140T and P23 , B. longum ssp. longum B1835 (deriving from BUSCOB) and DSM 20219T, the gelatin inhibited the growth of all the strains tested. These results point out that EC can be used not only as a thickener additive but that it also has a potential prebiotic activity for some bifidobacteria strains

Several studies support the use of probiotics for the treatment of minor gastrointestinal problems in infants. Positive effects on newborn colics have been evidenced after administration of Lactobacillus strains, whereas no studies have been reported regarding the use of bifidobacteria for this purpose. This work was therefore aimed at the characterization of Bifidobacterium strains capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogens typical of the infant gastrointestinal tract and of coliforms isolated from colic newborns. Among the 46 Bifidobacterium strains considered, 16 showed high antimicrobial activity against potential pathogens; these strains were further characterized from a taxonomic point of view, for the presence and transferability of antibiotic resistances, for citotoxic effects and adhesion to nontumorigenic gut epithelium cell lines. Moreover, their ability to stimulate gut health by increasing the metabolic activity and the immune response of epithelial cells was also studied. The examination of all these features allowed to identify three Bifidobacterium breve strains and a Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum strain as potential probiotics for the treatments of enteric disorders in newborns such as infantile colics. A validation clinical trial involving the selected strains is being planned.

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue enumerar e identificar cepas probióticas de bifidobacterias y lactobacilos, aisladas de productos lácteos comerciales presentes en el mercado europeo, así como también determinar su habilidad, y la de otras cepas presentes en la colección de bifidobacterias Scardovi de la Universidad de Bologna-Italia (BUSCOB), de consumir compuestos prebióticos comerciales (1% p/p): galactooligosacárido (GOS), fructooligosacárido (FOS), inulina de elevada solubilidad (IES), inulina de alta polimerización (IAP) y otros no convencionales, utilizados comúnmente como espesantes (0,5% p/p): Goma Espina Corona (GEC), Gelatina (G) y Almidón modificado (AM), éstos últimos de origen argentino. El ensayo se realizó adicionando los sustratos a un medio adecuado para cada género, en presencia de un indicador cuyo viraje permitió ver la utilización del sustrato estudio por parte de cada microorganismo. Como control positivo se utilizó glucosa (1% p/p) y el control negativo se inoculó en ausencia de sustrato carbonado. Para el aislamiento y recuento de los microorganismos se utilizaron diferentes medios selectivos, adecuados para cada especie según bibliografía. La identificación se realizó a través de PCR especie-específica, ERIC–PCR y secuenciamiento, en los casos que fue necesario. TPYmupirocina se confirmó como el mejor medio selectivo para las especies de bifidobacterias, mientras que para Lactobacillus casei, L. rhamnosus y L. paracasei todos los medios testeados resultaron adecuados para su enumeración. En el caso de L. acidophilus y L. johnsonii, el medio MRS-pH 5.4 dio mejores resultados. Con excepción de una cepa de Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis aislada de Spega®, los demás productos contenían los niveles de probióticos recomendados (106-107 UFC/g), luego de 20 días de vida útil. FOS, GOS y IES fueron los sustratos fermentados por el mayor número de especies. L. casei Shirota y L. rhamnosus, aislados de los productos Yakult® y Yomo®, respectivamente, sólo crecieron en presencia de GOS. L. rhamnosus SP1 no utilizó ninguno de los sustratos analizados. Ninguna de las cepas de lactobacilos metabolizó GEC ni IAP. Mientras GEC fue fermentada por B. animalis ssp. lactis DSM 10140T y P23, B. longum ssp. longum B1835 y ATCC 15707T, G y AM no promovieron el desarrollo de ninguna de las cepas investigadas. Se concluye la GEC puede ser utilizada no sólo como aditivo espesante, sino también como sustancia con actividad prebiótica potencial, sobre algunas cepas de bifidobacterias

Several studies support the use of probiotics for the treatment of minor gastrointestinal problems of newborns such as colics. The pathogenesis of colics remains largely unknown although evidences suggested multiple independent causes, including modification of the gut microbiota with an increased number of gas-forming coliforms. Positive effects on newborn colics have been evidenced after administration of Lactobacillus reuteri, whereas no studies have been reported regarding the use of bifidobacteria for this purpose. The aim of this work is to select bifidobacteria to be used as probiotics in newborns for the treatment of enteric disorders with a special attention on colics. 46 Bifidobacterium strains were originally screened and, among them, 16 showed high antimicrobial activity against potential pathogens; these strains were further characterized from a taxonomic point of view for the presence and transferability of antibiotic resistances, for cytotoxic effects and adhesion to nontumorigenic gut epithelium cell lines. Moreover, their ability to stimulate gut health by increasing the metabolic activity and the immune response of epithelial cells was also studied. The results obtained allowed to identify 3 B. breve strains and a B. longum strain as potential probiotics for the treatments of enteric disorders in newborns such as infantile colics.

The human gut is populated by an array of bacterial species, which develop important metabolic functions, with a marked effect on the nutritional and health status of the host. A relevant health aspect regards the interaction between nutrients introduced with the diet and beneficial gut microrganisms, in particular Bidifobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. Flavonoids are biologically active polyphenols present in legumes and cereals with high antioxidant properties and demonstrated role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Flavonoids are mainly present in foods as O-glycosides, whereas the biological activity is generally ascribed to the aglyconic moiety. Generally, intestinal enzymes do not possess the -glycosidase activity able to hydrolyze the bond between the sugar moiety and the bioactive compound thus avoiding its uptake and subsequent health benefits. However, for some human intestinal Bifidobacterium species -glycosidase activity on bean flavonoids has been described (Marotti et al. 2007). The aim of the present research is to extend the monitoring of -glycosidase activity to lactic acid bacteria (LAB) commonly used in food biotechnology and to evaluate their capability of metabolizing bean and wheat flavonoids. Fifteen strains of LAB, belonging to the species: L. fermentum, L. buchneri, L. fructivorans, L. helveticus , L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, L. kefiri, L. jugurti, L. lactis, L. bulgaricus, have been included in this research . The maximal -glycosidase activity was observed for strains belonging to the species L. buchneri, L. acidophilus and L. plantarum. Further studies are in progress aimed at evaluating the capability of the selected strains of metabolizing typical legume and wheat glycosilated flavonoids. Moreover, the capability of these strains of metabolizing the flavonoids present both in common bean seed and seedling extracts and wheat fiber extracts will be assayed. The research will also include some C-glycosilated flavonoids typically present in these plant sources and particular recalcitrant to hydrolysis. The strains showing the highest activity are potential good candidates for developing functional foods. Marotti et al. 2007 J Agric Food Chem. 55: 3913-3919.