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Unraveling the cholesterol-lowering mechanism of a Lactobacillus rhamnosus S_82 and xylo-oligosaccharides synbiotic in sour cream.

  • 2026-09
  • Food microbiology 138

Study Design

Methods
Applying this synbiotic to cream fermentation reduced cholesterol content to 54 mg/100g, while preserving fermentation characteristics and sensory quality. Transcriptomics revealed that XOS sustains phosphoketolase gene expression in S_82, upregulating key genes in the pyruvate-to-acetyl-CoA pathway. Gas chromatography analysis of bacterial fatty acid profiles further confirmed enhanced fatty acid biosynthesis. During fermentation, lipidomic profiling showed reduced cholesterol esters in milk fat globules and decreased milk fat globule membrane lipid raft stability; scanning electron microscopy confirmed adsorption of free cholesterol by S_82.
Sour cream has drawn growing attention due to high cholesterol amid rising nutritional awareness, making cholesterol reduction a critical focus. Synbiotics offer a novel strategy, with studies showing xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) enhance the cholesterol-lowering capacity of Lactobacillus rhamnosus S_82 in vivo and in vitro. Applying this synbiotic to cream fermentation reduced cholesterol content to 54 mg/100g, while preserving fermentation characteristics and sensory quality. Transcriptomics revealed that XOS sustains phosphoketolase gene expression in S_82, upregulating key genes in the pyruvate-to-acetyl-CoA pathway. This provides sufficient substrates for cell membrane fatty acid synthesis, facilitating cholesterol adsorption. Gas chromatography analysis of bacterial fatty acid profiles further confirmed enhanced fatty acid biosynthesis. During fermentation, lipidomic profiling showed reduced cholesterol esters in milk fat globules and decreased milk fat globule membrane lipid raft stability likely promote free cholesterol release. Scanning electron microscopy visually confirmed the adsorption of this free cholesterol is adsorbed by S_82, lowering cream cholesterol levels while increasing unsaturated fatty acids and enhancing nutritional quality. This study provides a new perspective for synbiotic cholesterol reduction in sour cream.

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