Lactobacillus crispatus to produce a functional cheese as dietary strategy to improve woman wellbeing

Within this research, the suitability of Squacquerone cheese to support the viability of Lactobacillus crispatus BC4, a vaginal strain endowed with a strong antimicrobial activity against urogenital pathogens and foodborne microorganisms, in order to recommend a gender food for woman wellbeing, was investigated. The viability of L. crispatus BC4, used as adjunct culture in the production of a functional cheese, was evaluated during the product refrigerated storage, also when Squacquerone cheese was subjected to simulated stomach-duodenum passage. Moreover, the effects of the probiotic strain addition were evaluated on product pattern profiles, in terms of proteolysis, lipolysis and volatile molecule profiles. The data obtained underlined that L. crispatus BC4 maintained high viability, also in presence of physiological stress conditions, until the end of the refrigerated storage. Moreover, the inclusion of L. crispatus BC4 gave raise to cheese products with higher score of overall acceptability when compared to control cheese. Moreover, the survival of L. crispatus BC4, carried in Squacquerone cheese, was verified by the patented Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME). The results highlighted that the vaginal Lactobacillus was initially affected by the low pH in the stomach, simulated by the reactor of the SHIME in fed state, while it was resistant to bile salts and pancreatic juices. Although only in vivo trials can confirm the functionality of the produced cheese in vagina environment, these data represent a further tassel to use the Squacquerone cheese produced as gender dietary strategy for woman well-being. These results suggest that the obtained cheese could represent not only a gender strategy to prevent vaginal dysbiosis, but also a challenge to improve the dairy sector. The research was supported by a grant obtained at the University of Bologna (Italy), within the Alma Idea Project “Approcci biotecnologici per la produzione di un alimento di genere - Biotechnological approaches to produce a gender food”.