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The Benefits and Applications of Lactobacillus plantarum in Food and Health: A Narrative Review

Summary

Lactobacillus plantarum is a beneficial bacterium commonly found in fermented foods like yogurt and cheese that acts as a natural probiotic. It can help preserve food, improve flavor, and boost health by supporting digestion, strengthening immunity, and reducing inflammation. Research shows it may help with weight management, blood sugar control, and mental health, making it valuable for both the food industry and medical applications.

Background

Lactobacillus plantarum is a gram-positive lactic acid bacterium recognized as a safe probiotic with diverse applications in food and health industries. It has been attributed with multiple beneficial properties including prolonging food shelf-life, enhancing antioxidant activity, improving food flavor, and antimicrobial activities.

Objective

This narrative review aims to comprehensively discuss the benefits and applications of L. plantarum in food and health sectors by synthesizing information from multiple databases. The study categorizes and discusses important features, benefits, and uses of this bacterium across different industries.

Results

L. plantarum demonstrates effectiveness in food applications including shelf-life extension, antioxidant enhancement, flavor improvement, and antimicrobial activities. Health benefits include antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-cancer, anti-allergic, anti-depression, and immunomodulatory properties across multiple strains.

Conclusion

L. plantarum is a versatile probiotic with outstanding health-promoting properties designated as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). It shows promising results in experimental and human trials for various diseases, though further research on strain-specific diversity and disease treatment mechanisms is necessary.
  • Published in:Iran J Public Health,
  • Study Type:Narrative Review,
  • Source: PMID: 39544869, DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v53i10.16698
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