In vitro assessment of antimicrobial efficacy of the D‐tagatose and lactobacilli‐based synbiotic preparations against the pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium.

Summary: The study aimed to investigate the utilisation of prebiotic D‐tagatose by probiotic lactobacilli (L. rhamnosus GG, L. casei, L. acidophilus and L. fermentum) and enteric pathogens (E. coli and S. typhimurium) to determine synbiotic potential of D‐tagatose and lactobacilli combination. The antimicrobial efficacy of the synbiotic preparations (D‐tagatose with lactobacillus) was assessed against selected pathogens in co‐culture assays. Evidently, D‐tagatose supported growth of selected lactobacilli, especially the L. rhamnosus GG and L. casei, but not the enteric pathogens. The tested synbiotic preparations completely inhibited growth of both the pathogens, even in the presence of D‐glucose in co‐cultures. The well‐diffusion assay demonstrated the presence of antimicrobial activity as recorded by drop of culture pH. The study substantiated that D‐tagatose could be an effective prebiotic component for formulation of potential synbiotic combinations with L. rhamnosus GG or L. casei that can be used as an alternative to antibiotics against enteric pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]