Probiotic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM4 isolated from pickles and its effects on human intestinal microecology

Lactic acid bacteria have received worldwide attention because of their fermentative properties and their great significance for the balance of microbial homeostasis in the intestine. In this study, we isolated a strain of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM4 from pickles and evaluated its probiotic properties. The results indicated that ZFM4 was suppressive to most pathogenic bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and showed good tolerance to high osmotic pressure (8.0% NaCl), high ethanol concentration (5.0%), high temperature (42 °C) and bile salts (0.3%, 4 h). The effect of ZFM4 on human intestinal microbiota was investigated through the fecal slurry fermentation model in vitro. Sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene demonstrated that the addition of ZFM4 significantly raised the abundance of phylum Bacillota, while increased the proportion of beneficial genera, such as Lactiplantibacillus and Bifidobacterium. Furthermore, ZFM4 contributed to the enhanced production of acetic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid. In summary, ZFM4 could be considered a potential probiotic candidate.