An in vitro Approach: Cholesterol Assimilation and Probiotic Characterization of Enterococcus faecium (JD 9) isolated from fermented foods

High plasma cholesterol levels can cause cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in humans and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were found to be fine-tuned in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis and were considered helpful for life due to their significant impact on human and animal health when taken orally. This bacterial interaction leads to the deconjugation of bile salts by the BSH enzyme and the assimilation of cholesterol, which are particularly important. This study examined the probiotic characterisation and cholesterol assimilation by lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented foods along with reference strains (L. acidophilus MTCC 10307 and L. rhamnosus MTCC 1408). Isolate was identified as Enterococcus faecium JD9 by 16S rRNA. All strains in this investigation can enhance the tolerant to low pH, bile salt and simulated gastric juice. It has shown catalase-negative, gram-positive, non-haemolytic activity, bile salt hydrolase activity, sugar fermentation, autoaggregation, antibiotic sensitivity and assessment of cholesterol assimilated from media. HPLC was used to quantify the assimilated cholesterol. All strains demonstrated a remarkable capacity to assimilate cholesterol with and without bile salt, reaching a rate of cholesterol assimilation of Enterococcus faecium JD9 (78% and 96.52%), Lactobacillus rhamnosus MTCC 1408 (77% and 92.34%) and Lactobacillus acidophilus MTCC 10307 (76% and 88.45%). The results indicate that the strain isolated from fermented food has the potential to be employed as probiotics and alternative therapeutics due to their capacity to bile salt hydrolase and to reduce cholesterol levels.