Surging Luffa sponge demand yields high by-product wastage, impacting resource efficiency. Noted for boosting resource efficiency, lactic acid bacteria fermentation is widely used in agricultural by-product processing. In this study, we used Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P101 (LpP101) to ferment mature Luffa to prepare the Luffa fermentation broth (LF). Moreover, we found that LpP101 fermentation changed the physicochemical properties and chemical compositions of the Luffa solution and improved its potential function. Furthermore, in vivo experimental results showed that LF performed superior protective effect against cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced hepatotoxicity than the unfermented Luffa juice (LJ). Therefore, the LpP101 fermentation improved the resource efficiency and functional characteristics of Luffa. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study fermented the mature Luffa using LpP101 to obtain the LF. The LF showed an excellent antioxidant ability, and included various bioactive components than the LJ. Moreover, the LF showed a better protective effect against CTX-induced hepatotoxicity than the LJ. Our study aims to seek the comprehensive utilization method for Luffa by-products, and further improve their nutritional contents. It offers a way to boost the economic and additional value of Luffa by-products, increasing the wide application of mature Luffa.
Feng et al. (Sun,) studied this question.