Screening of strains with potential hypoglycemic effect and its application in fermented garlic production

Microbial fermentation could produce many active substances in green and pollution-free ways. In recent years, studies on the hypoglycemic ability of microorganisms had become a trending topic in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Garlic is a food containing a variety of biologically active substances and physiological functions, but it is not accepted by the general public because of its strong pungent smell. In our study, the microorganisms with potential hypoglycemic effect were screened from strains resistant to garlic juice. As a result, 41 strains of Bacillus, 157 strains of lactic acid bacteria, and 23 strains of yeast with tolerance of garlic juice were screened from the selected 568 strains. After primary screening of α-amylase inhibitor, it was found that 15 Bacillus and 9 lactic acid bacteria had high α-amylase inhibitory activity. Besides, after α-glucosidase inhibitor re-screening, Pediococcus acidilactici Z1 with high α-amylase inhibitory activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity was screened out. The results of fermented garlic showed that the inhibition rate of α-amylase and α-glucosidase of garlic from different origins were significantly increased from 59.09 to 63.99% (p < 0.01) and from 52.71 to 71.93% (p < 0.01) after Z1 fermentation, respectively. The improvement rates of α-amylase and α-glucosidase were 107.69 to 287.32%, and 197.74 to 239.86%, respectively. In a word, this study provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the development of new functional garlic products.