The Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Embp adhesin as a gateway for new formulations in the probiotic market.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," the age-old quote by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, is certainly todays tenet. With the growing interest in self-care and integrative medicine by the health-embracing and ecological-minded population in the industrialized countries, recognition of the link between diet and health has never been stronger. Dairy products provide a multitude of health benefits, especially those products with live active bacteria cultures also known as probiotics. One of the characteristics used to select probiotics, and often a prerequisite to exert a beneficial effect, is adhesion to sites in the gastrointestinal tract. However, not much is known about the underlying mechanisms. This project aims at a detailed characterization ofadhesion protein of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG).

Keywords:gut microbiology, functional food, bacterial genetics, Lactobacillus, probiotics, adhesion

Disciplines:Biomaterials engineering, Biological system engineering, Biomechanical engineering, Other (bio)medical engineering, Environmental engineering and biotechnology, Industrial biotechnology, Other biotechnology, bio-engineering and biosystem engineering, Agriculture, land and farm management, Biotechnology for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and allied sciences, Fisheries sciences, Microbiology, Systems biology, Laboratory medicine