The role of Lactobacillus casei

Lactobacillus casei is a food raw material. Most people use this food raw material to make drinks and fermented foods, just like the bread and cakes we usually eat need it, and the lactic acid bacteria we drink are also indispensable to it. This substance is actually beneficial to the human body. It is called one of the three healthy bacteria. So what are the functions of Lactobacillus casei?

Probiotics are a type of active microbial food raw material that is beneficial to human health. Commonly used probiotics include two types: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium. Together with Lactobacillus casei, they are collectively known as the "three healthy bacteria."

In 2001, the Ministry of Health announced a list of probiotic strains that can be used in health foods: Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei, and Streptococcus thermophilus.

Lactobacillus casei belongs to the genus Lactobacillus, is a Gram-positive bacterium, does not produce spores, has no flagella, is non-motile, facultatively heterofermentes lactose, and does not liquefy gelatin; the optimal growth temperature is 37°C, and the G+C content is 45.6%~47.2%; the bacteria vary in length, with square ends, and often form chains; the colonies are rough, off-white, sometimes slightly yellow, and can ferment a variety of sugars. Lactobacillus casei is found in the human mouth, intestinal contents, feces and vagina. It is also often found in milk and cheese, dairy products, feed, dough and garbage.

Lactobacillus casei, as a probiotic, is able to tolerate the body's defense mechanisms, including enzymes in the mouth, low pH in gastric juice, and bile acids in the small intestine. Therefore, after entering the human body, Lactobacillus casei can survive in large numbers in the intestines, playing a role in regulating the balance of intestinal flora and promoting human digestion and absorption. At the same time, Lactobacillus casei has the functions of effectively lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, promoting cell division, producing antibody immunity, enhancing human immunity, preventing cancer and inhibiting tumor growth; it also has the functions of relieving lactose intolerance, allergies and other probiotic health care effects. Because Lactobacillus casei has significant beneficial effects on its host's nutrition, immunity, and disease prevention, it has increasingly become the focus of research, development, and production. With the increase in the number of people with hypertension, research on Lactobacillus casei and the development of functional dairy products using it are of great significance.

Since Metchnikoff discovered in 1908 that lactobacillus can inhibit harmful bacteria in the intestines, scholars from various countries have successively discovered that almost every species and even every strain of every genus and species of lactic acid bacteria can produce lactobacilli. These lactic acid bacteria become a major source of natural peptide preservatives. Lactobacillus casei can inhibit and kill many spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria in food without affecting the properties of food, and can even improve the characteristics of food. Therefore, adding it to food as a fermentation agent can make the product better quality and also play a positive role in the preservation of food during storage.