Evaluation of Safety and Probiotic Potential of Enterococcus faecalis MG5206 and Enterococcus faecium MG5232 Isolated from Kimchi, a Korean Fermented Cabbage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the genotypic and phenotypic toxicity of Enterococcus faecalis MG5206 and Enterococcus faecium MG5232 isolated from kimchi (fermented vegetable cabbage). In this study, the genotypic toxicity of the strains MG5206 and MG5232 was identified through whole-genome sequencing analysis, and phenotypic virulence, such as susceptibility to antibiotics, hemolytic activity, and gelatinase and hyaluronidase activities, was also evaluated. In addition, the in vivo toxicity of both strains was evaluated using an acute oral administration test in Sprague-Dawley rats. In all the tests, both the strains were determined to be safety by confirming that they did not show antibiotic resistance or virulence factors. In addition, these strains exhibited a low level of autoaggregation ability (37.2-66.3%) and hydrophobicity, as well as a high survival rate in gastrointestinal condition in vitro. Therefore, the safety and high gastrointestinal viability of E. faecalis MG5206 and E. faecium MG5232 suggests that both the strains could be utilized in food as potential probiotics in the future.

Automated summary

The genotypic and phenotypic toxicity of two strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolated from kimchi were evaluated in this study. The strains were tested for their genotypic toxicity through whole-genome sequencing and their phenotypic virulence, including susceptibility to antibiotics and enzymatic activities. The in vivo toxicity of the strains was evaluated using an acute oral administration test in rats. The results showed that both strains were safe, without antibiotic resistance or virulence factors, and had a high survival rate in gastrointestinal conditions. Therefore, these strains could potentially be used as probiotics in food.