For decades, Europe has relied in the food industry on limited strains of beneficial bacteria (probiotics), which were discovered or genetically modified a long time ago, so the hope of finding new species seems like a distant dream, as most of the strains used today in functional foods come from the same ancient sources that have been scientifically studied and consumed to satiation.
Based on this challenge, an Algerian research team, one of whose members spoke to Al Jazeera Net, sought to search for local strains in the products of the traditional Algerian food heritage, and succeeded in isolating some of them and proving that they have promising properties that could redraw the map of the global probiotics industry. This achievement was announced in the journal “Biocatalysts and Agricultural Biotechnology.”
Beneficial bacteria (probiotics) live naturally in the body, especially in the intestines, and come from some foods. They play an important role in maintaining the microbial balance and the health of the digestive system. Contrary to the stereotypical image of bacteria as pathogens, these microscopic organisms help improve digestion, enhance immunity, and resist harmful bacteria.
Probiotic strains are widely used in the food and nutritional supplement industry, where they are added to products such as yogurt, fermented milk, and health drinks. They are also used medically to treat intestinal disorders, prevent infections, and even support mental health through what is known as the “gut-brain axis.”
With the escalation of global interest in natural and safe alternatives, “probiotics” have become one of the most important recent trends in food and drug research.
Dr. Ben Bouziane Bouassria, a professor in the Bioeconomics, Food Safety and Health Laboratory at Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University in Algeria, says, “During my doctoral studies at the National Institute for Agricultural Research in France, I noticed that there are two main approaches to studying beneficial bacteria (especially lactic acid bacteria).”
He added, “The first uses genetically modified strains that have been engineered to exhibit certain characteristics, such as resistance to acidity or the production of specific substances, but this trend faces major legal and ethical obstacles in Europe due to the restrictions imposed on genetically modified organisms. The second relies on searching for natural (unmodified) strains that possess naturally beneficial qualities, such as tolerance to acid or the production of antibacterials, but Europe has banks.” “This is huge for known species, so it is very rare to find a new or unexploited species.”
He continues, “From here came my idea of returning to Algeria to explore the original local strains found in traditional products, which had not been studied before, with the aim of discovering new types of beneficial bacteria that are unknown globally, and which could be of great industrial or health value.”
From butter and fermented wheat to the laboratory
The mission of Bouassria and his companions began by collecting samples of two famous Algerian products: local butter and fermented wheat known locally as “hamoum,” “oiled couscous,” or “broil,” then transporting them to the laboratory for careful analysis.
In the first stage, the researchers used bacterial cultivation techniques to isolate living microorganisms from samples and monitor their growth on special food media. After that, the isolated strains were subjected to precise genetic tests using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology and sequencing of the Sextin SrRNA gene, which is the standard method for determining the genetic identity of bacteria.
To understand the role played by the two technologies, imagine if you wanted to read a sentence written in very small handwriting on a piece of paper, but the letters are faint and cannot be read, but you have a tool that makes those letters clearer. This is what PCR technology does. It amplifies specific parts of the genetic material, which allowed researchers to obtain sufficient copies for analysis.
In other words, if the DNA of bacteria is the “book of genetic instructions,” then PCR works like a camera that enlarges a specific page of this book to enable scientists to study it in detail.
In this way, researchers can obtain a sufficient amount of genetic material to accurately determine the identity of the bacteria. Then scientists move to the second step, which is reading the sequence of the sextin SRNA gene.
This gene is found in almost all types of bacteria, but it varies slightly from one type to another, just like the fingerprint that distinguishes every human being. By comparing the sequence of this gene with global databases containing thousands of known bacterial species, researchers can know to which type the new bacteria belongs or whether it is a previously unknown strain.
12 bacterial strains with therapeutic functions
Using the two methods, Dr. Bouasria says, “We were able to isolate 12 beneficial bacterial strains from local butter and fermented wheat (hamoum), and these strains belonged to 3 main species of lactic acid bacteria, which are Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Levylactobacillus brevis.”
The strains that were discovered belong to species known internationally, that is, they are not completely new species in terms of scientific classification, but they are considered new strains locally, as they were not known or isolated from traditional Algerian products before, and they are distinguished by special specifications that distinguish them from their counterparts isolated from other countries.
Bouasriya says, “Our results showed that the ‘Plantarum’ and ‘Paracazi’ strains are characterized by strong growth when fed on both glucose and lactose, meaning that they are able to adapt to different food sources, which is a required characteristic in the food industry and probiotic supplements. As for the ‘Breves’ strains, they showed slightly weaker growth in the presence of lactose compared to glucose, but they nevertheless retained their ability to To survive in acidic and salty environments.
When the isolated strains were tested in conditions that simulate the harsh environment of the stomach and intestines, he explained that “all but one of the strains demonstrated their superior ability to withstand, as their survival rate exceeded 90% even after exposure to bile acids, which is one of the most difficult challenges facing bacteria inside the body.”
He added, “The tests also showed that all the strains were completely safe, as they did not show any activity of the deoxyribonuclease enzyme or hemolytic properties. They were also sensitive to most types of antibiotics, which is an essential safety sign before their adoption in the food or health industries.”
He concludes that “Algerian strains – especially Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei – possess strong probiotic properties that make them eligible to be a local alternative in the future to the imported strains that have dominated the European and Asian markets for decades.”
Major challenges towards implementation
Despite these promising results, converting the discovered strains into food or medicinal products faces great challenges, the most important of which is that maintaining the vitality and stability of bacteria during the manufacturing, storage, and transportation processes is one of the most difficult stages, especially since “probiotics” are organisms that are sensitive to temperature, acidity, and oxygen.
Bouassria says, “Techniques such as microscopic packaging are used to protect them, but they increase the cost of production and require sensory compatibility with the sensory properties of the food product. The absence of national companies specialized in the production of industrial fermentation farms in Algeria makes it necessary to establish partnerships with the industrial sector and develop a national infrastructure in this vital field.”
In addition to this applied challenge, the new discovery highlights the importance of the urgent need to establish a national bank of Algerian microbial strains to preserve this genetic wealth and invest it in the food and pharmaceutical industries and scientific research.
He adds, “This bank can constitute a strategic platform for documenting and preserving local strains, making them available to researchers and manufacturers, and enhancing scientific and technological independence in the field of microbial biotechnology.”
By overcoming the challenges and succeeding in establishing the National Bank, Bouassria believes that in this way Algeria can be freed from complete dependence on foreign companies that monopolize the global industrial breeds market.
The global probiotics market has been dominated for decades by three major companies: the Dutch “DSM”, “Christian Hansen”, and the Danish “Danisco”. These companies own thousands of registered strains and control most of the commercial production of beneficial bacteria used in foods and supplements around the world.
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