LAUSR

Abstract In this study, the probiotic properties of 80 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from pastirma, a dry-cured meat product, were investigated. For this purpose, strains were investigated for their resistance to bile salt and hydrophobicity abilities. In 6 strains selected as a result of these analyses, development at high salt concentrations, auto-aggregation and co-aggregation, resistance to low pH, and adhesion analyses were performed. The growth percentage of all strains decreased with increasing bile salt concentration at both 25 °C and 37 °C. P. pentosaceus K7, K41, K44, K51 and K81 and P. acidilactici K99 gave the highest values in terms of hydrophobicity ability. The highest auto-aggregation and the highest co-aggregation were found in P. pentosaceus K41 (17.62%) and P. pentosaceus K44 strain (26.23%), respectively. These six strains showed tolerance to high acidity even at pH 2. The strains significantly maintained their viability in the simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. Furthermore, the strains had low adhesion capacity in Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines and generally showed resistance under gastrointestinal system conditions. As a result, P. pentosaceus K44, P. acidilactici K99 and P. pentosaceus K41 could be considered as probiotic strains.