Viability of indigenous probiotic bacteria of swine origin under room temperature

Abstract

Probiotics are live useful microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host both humans and animals. The demand of probiotics as a bio-control therapy is rapidly increasing in most of the agricultural practices, as the farmers have become more aware about the potential health benefits. This is due to the fact that probiotics help in maintaining the balance and composition of intestinal flora and also protect it from pathogens. However, the viability of bacteria used as probiotics is affected by various conditions such as temperature, oxygen levels and water availability thus reducing its efficacy upon administration. The main aim of this study was to determine the viability of indigenous probiotic bacteria of swine origin under room temperature. During the study, the selected isolates used were Lactobacillus casei and Kocuria varians. The viability of these isolates was assessed on locally prepared media that contains proportionate amounts of molasses, maize bran and sugar. For three consecutive months, the CFU/ml was determined by incubation of culture samples on Man Rogosa Sharpe Agar. The results revealed that all the organisms were viable for the three months since the average CFU/ml determined was above 1,000,000. However, the viability of the combined cultured organisms i.e. Lactobacillus casei and Kocuria varians was the highest followed by that of Lactobacillus casei and then lastly Kocuria varians. Based on the viability results, it was clear that it is possible to retain probiotic bacteria on the locally prepared media for more than three months. We recommend that the probiotic microbes be used in combinations for much better results of probiotic activity benefits as it showed an increased stability as compared to single isolate preparation.