This study aimed to enhance the functional activities of vegetable sponge beverage (VSB) through fermentation. A total of 300 species of lactic acid bacteria, isolated from 6 types of kimchi, were screened to obtain the one suitable for fermenting a VSB with high sugar content. The selected strain was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum WiKim0067 by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The treatment groups were set as LCC (fermentation broth) and LFP (freeze-dried powder), depending on the strain inoculation method. Both treatment groups showed a higher number of Lactobacillus than the control (VSB) group during storage. In particular, LFP showed similar level of sensory attributes as VSB. Subsequently, probiotic properties of LFP were investigated. After 1 and 2 months of bacterial inoculation, contents of lactic acid and acetic acid were increased in LFP. Moreover, LFP exhibited significantly higher superoxide dismutase (85.67%) and radical scavenging (71.14%) activities than VSB (71.88 and 55.68%, respectively). In addition, LFP treatment decreased the production of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β more than VSB treatment in RAW264.7 cells. Taken together, our results suggested that fermentation with L. plantarum WiKim0067 could enhance functional activities of VSB without affecting the sensory properties negatively.

本研究旨在通过发酵提高植物海绵饮料 (VSB) 的功能活性。从6种泡菜中分离出300种乳酸菌，筛选出适合发酵高糖VSB的乳酸菌。通过16S rRNA基因序列分析，筛选出的菌株为植物乳杆菌WiKim0067。根据菌株接种方法，将处理组设置为 LCC（发酵肉汤）和 LFP（冻干粉）。两个治疗组都显示出更高数量的乳酸杆菌在储存期间比对照组 (VSB) 组。特别是，LFP 表现出与 VSB 相似的感官属性水平。随后，研究了 LFP 的益生菌特性。细菌接种1个月和2个月后，LFP中乳酸和乙酸的含量增加。此外，LFP 的超氧化物歧化酶（85.67%）和自由基清除（71.14%）活性显着高于 VSB（分别为 71.88 和 55.68%）。此外，在 RAW264.7 细胞中，LFP 处理比 VSB 处理更能减少脂多糖诱导的一氧化氮、白细胞介素 (IL)-6 和 IL-1β 的产生。总之，我们的结果表明，用植物乳杆菌WiKim0067 发酵可以增强 VSB 的功能活性，而不会对感官特性产生负面影响。