Evaluation of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria-mediated bioconversion goji berry extracts for anti-biofilm and anti-inflammatory effect

The aim of this study, the fermentation-based bioconversion technique utilising two bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria strains, Pediococcus acidilactici HW01 (HW01) and Leuconostoc citreum HW02 (HW02), was employed to enhance the beneficial properties of goji berry extracts (GBE). During fermentation, strains HW01 and HW02 converted glucose and fructose in GBE to lactic acid and increased total phenolic content and DPPH scavenging activity but decreased total flavonoid content and ABTS scavenging activity. The bioconverted GBE showed dose-dependent anti-biofilm effects against foodborne pathogens. In addition, the bioconversion GBE exhibited better anti-inflammatory properties compared to non-bioconverted GBE, particularly with the three-day fermented bioconverted GBE demonstrating significant reductions in mRNA expression levels and secretion of cytokines and chemokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. This study confirms that bioconversion technology enhances the functional properties of GBE, promising to increase their practical utility in the healthy food industry by potentially offering enriched products with improved health-promoting attributes.