Protein profiling by MALDI-TOF spectrometry and probiotic properties of endophytic lactic acid bacteria and yeasts from durum, soft, and red wheat landraces

This study investigates novel probiotic sources derived from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts isolated from Moroccan durum, soft, and red wheat landraces. A comprehensive array of experiments was conducted to assess their safety (hemolytic activity and antimicrobial susceptibility profile), survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions (tolerance to gastric acidity, bile salts, pepsin, and pancreatin), adhesion potential (auto-aggregation and hydrophobicity), and capacity to modulate gut microbiota through antimicrobial activity against selected pathogens. In accordance with EFSA criteria, these species exhibited confirmed safety and broad antibiotic susceptibility, mitigating the risk of resistance gene dissemination. Their robustness in gastrointestinal conditions, coupled with strong auto-aggregation, hydrophobicity, and significant antimicrobial activity against major pathogens, substantiates their ability to survive, colonize, and proliferate within the gastrointestinal tract, thereby augmenting their probiotic potential. These promising findings pave the way for further research focused on developing innovative probiotic supplements and exploring food biotechnology applications to enhance wheat's nutritional value, concurrently advancing the understanding of the ecology of endophytic microbiota naturally associated with wheat.