ILS scientists discover new probiotic bacteria that promote health

Researchers at the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) Bhubaneswar, a biotechnology research centre, have discovered a new probiotic bacteria that can aid in the prevention and management of multiple health-related issues.

This bacterium is known as Ligilactobacillus salivarious F14. It was discovered in the guts of Odisha’s indigenous tribespeople. It was the result of a research project on tribal health and nutrition begun three years ago by the institute with the support of the Centre’s department of biotechnology.

Multiple ILS scientists are supervising various aspects of research that could improve the health and well-being of Odisha’s tribes under this programme. According to official sources, the ILS team planned to investigate the use of beneficial microorganisms to improve the health of these individuals in one of its studies.

“Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that confer health benefits on humans and animals when ingested alive in adequate quantities. These beneficial organisms are known to aid in the prevention and management of multiple health-related issues, including diarrhoea, obesity, and numerous immunological disorders, according to an ILS statement.

ILS’s Shantibhusan Senapaiti’s team has isolated and characterised multiple probiotics. The group has recently published the complete genome sequence and additional probiotic properties of one of the beneficial bacteria. This study has been published in the prestigious international journal World journal of microbiology and biotechnology.

The lead authors of this publication, Jayalaxmi Dash and Manisha Sethi, noted that the whole genome sequencing of three additional probiotics has been completed and the sequences have been submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database in the United States.

Senapati stated that this organism will be more advantageous to the tribal people of Odisha and will help improve their health in the future. “In the future, we can use these probiotics to improve the health of functional foods,” he added.

Pulok Kumar Mukherjee, director of ILS and principal investigator of the ILS-flagship project, stated that the institute will develop functional foods containing these probiotics in a more comprehensive manner in the future.