Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a wide array of probiotics, the majority of which are approved as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This classification requires potential LAB to demonstrate that consuming them in the appropriate amount improves one's health, in addition to being examined for strain identification, safety, and cell surface features [1]. Numerous research is being conducted to isolate, characterize, and emphasize the probiotic benefits of various microorganisms. In addition to providing distinct health benefits, that are thought to be the most important factor when choosing a successful probiotic strain, in vitro preliminary tests including stress tolerance testing in the gut environment is considered to be most crucial aspect in determining a bacteria’s probiotic qualities [2]. The need to identify and isolate probiotic bacteria from affordable, non-traditional, or novel sources with no negative health effects has grown with the usage of dairy and non-dairy products in the food business. As a result, several studies began to isolate LAB from unconventional sources such as using oregano leaves to isolate endophytic and epiphytic LAB [3], sugarcane, papaya, taro and yam leaves [4] were also studied to isolate probiotics. Research have also reported that several fruits harbour probiotic bacteria. Grape fruit was used to isolate Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus plantarum [5] and guava, passion fruit, custard apple was used to isolate species of Lactobacillus sp., Leuconostoc sp., Weissella minor, Enterococcus sp.,[6]. Apart from this, research on fructophilic lactic acid bacteria from honey and gastrointestinal tract of healthy Apis mellifera were also carried out. Presence of Apilactobacillus kunkeei, Fructobacillus fructosus and Lactobacillus kunkeei, Fructobacillus fructosus were observed respectively upon identification [7, 8].
Most often, during food preparation, the stalks (calyx) of chillies (Capsicum spp.) are removed as waste material. However, there have been reports that the calyx of chillies, is frequently a major source of lactic acid bacteria. Additionally, it appears that the metabolism of the bacteria is accelerated by presence of capsaicin from chillies [9]. Hence, when used to curdle milk, this once-wasted material can transform from a product of low economic worth to a great value, turning waste into economic advancement. Additionally, it will be convenient to get a healthy starter culture apart from yogurt. There aren't many pure freeze-dried starter cultures available, forcing consumers to use store-bought yogurt instead. Due to several unlisted manufacturer ingredients and the fact that the active culture tends to degrade with time, the efficacy of these store-bought yogurts is only sometimes guaranteed. Hence, LAB isolated from non-dairy items like chili calyx have sparked increased attention in recent years [10].
In comparison to probiotic bacteria isolated from dairy sources, strains from non-dairy have tend to demonstrate tolerance to higher pH and salt levels, the ability in fermenting a greater variety of sugars/carbohydrates, and higher stress tolerance capacity. Additionally, studies discovered that no appreciable difference in the fermentation attributes and enzyme profile of probiotic bacteria, which are required to make a variety of fermented dairy products [11]. Hence, the study describes the isolating, characterising and safety evaluation of LAB isolated from calyx of chili. In vitro testing was used to study the probiotic characteristics of isolated LAB. Following that, the isolates that exhibited positive results for the safety analysis tests and lastly the positive to all probiotic qualities are identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The current study is believed to be the first communication reported for the isolation of LAB from chilies.