B2, also known as riboflavin, is a water-soluble vitamin responsible for multiple roles to include management of xenobiotic substances, metabolism of drugs, redox balance, controlling reactive lipid metabolism, and participation in energy metabolism (Pinto & Zempleni, 2016). As such, optimal B2 levels are essential in maintaining health and homeostasis. Although consumption of B2 through foods such as organ meats, dairy, eggs, fish, and poultry provide B2, said micronutrient can also be produced by probiotics; a relatively unknown contribution of such microorganisms. As a means of exploring alternative sources of B2, the following will consider the influence of probiotics to the production of riboflavin.
Probiotics are categorized as live microorganisms, which produce health benefits when consumed in adequate quantities (Arena, Russo, Capozzi, Lopez, Fiocco, & Spano, 2014). Probiotics have been traditionally used to help prevent disease, enhance respiratory functions, improve digestion, and augment immune function. In particular, the Lactobacillus (LB) and Bifidobacterium (BB) genera have been identified and are often found in fermented foods, plant material, certain parts of animal tissue, and the human digestive tract (Arena et al., 2014). Probiotics are defined as such by satisfying particular requirements: they must be safe to consume, survive passage through the stomach and hydrochloric acid, colonize the intestine and adhere to enterocytic cells, modulate and control gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), and reinforce the intestinal epithelial layer (Arena et al., 2014). Having considered common uses of probiotics, the following will consider their impact upon B2 production.
As outlined in previous sections, B2 plays a central role in metabolism and is also a precursor of two forms of riboflavin used in cellular processes: flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) (Arena et al., 2014). Humans cannot synthesize significant amounts of B2, thus, consumption of foods (and sometimes supplementation), is essential to maintain optimal levels in the body (Gropper, Smith, & Carr, 2018). However, some microorganisms within the lower intestinal tract have the capacity to produce B2. Arena et al. (2018) made an intriguing point that such knowledge could help develop functional foods, which could contain probiotics armed with B2-producing capacities. The following will consider the researcher’s work concerning the same.
Functional foods can be defined as items, which are consumed as an adjunct to a normal diet that offer the potential of reducing risk
of disease and enhancing health (Moons, Barbarossa, & De Pelsmacker, 2018). Arena et al. (2018) suggested that certain strains of probiotics could fit such a definition of functional food to include Lactobacillus plantarum (LBP) and Lactobacillus fermentum (LBF). Such strains were also chosen because they satisfied the requirements of a probiotic (mentioned in a prior section) in addition to producing B2 when tested under environments which mimicked the human intestinal tract (i.e., hydrochloric acid, bile salts, ability to adhere to intestinal cells and colonize etc…). Of particular relevance in using said probiotics in food is not only their ability to provide another source of B2; probiotics can also help protect the gut lining, enhance tight junctions, and improve digestion and absorption of nutrients (Moraes, Grzeskowiak, Teixeira, Peluzio, 2014). It is possible that combining such qualities in a functional food can maximize B2 delivery while enhancing digestion and absorption.
In conclusion, B2 is an essential micronutrient involved in key cellular processes to include management of xenobiotic substances, metabolism of drugs, redox balance, controlling reactive lipid metabolism, and participation in energy metabolism (Pinto & Zempleni, 2016). As such, it is essential to optimize consumption and sources of riboflavin, to possibly include probiotics. Considering the unique qualities of probiotics (such as LBP and LBF), it is possible that such microorganisms may serve as both a source of B2 and a mechanism to enhance gut health and absorption, enhancing both the quantity effectiveness of said micronutrient.
References
Arena, M. P., Russo, P., Capozzi, V., Lopez, P., Fiocco, D., & Spano, G. (2014). Probiotic abilities of riboflavin-overproducing Lactobacillus strains: A novel promising application of probiotics. Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology, 98(17), 7569-7581.
Gropper, S. S., Smith, J. L., & Carr, T. P. (2018). Advanced nutrition and human metabolism (7thed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Moons, I., Barbarossa, C., & De Pelsmacker, P. D. (2018). The determinants of the adoption intention of functional food in different market segments. Ecological Economics, 151, 151-161.
Moraes, L. F. D., Grzeskowiak, L. M., Teixeira, T. F. D. S., & Peluzio, M. D. C. G. (2014). Intestinal microbiota in Celiac disease.Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 27(3), 482-489.
Pinto, J. T., & Zempleni, J. (2016). Riboflavin. Advances in Nutrition, 2(5), 973-975.
-Michael McIsaac