The fermented soy whey produced by a combined lactic acid bacteria starter shows improved flavor and the function in alleviating dextran sulphate sodium induced colitis in mice

ABSTRACT In this study, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BC299, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 717 and Streptococcus thermophilus 176 were used as combined starter cultures to produce a fermented soy whey beverage. The results showed that the fermentation of the combined starter cultures increased the content of lactic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, and malic acid, while decreased the content of citric acid, fumaric acid and propionic acid. Meanwhile, the fermentation also effectively changed the proportion of volatile flavor substances. The higher sensory score of the fermented soy whey also confirmed the flavor improvement effect of the combined starter cultures. In addition, the in vivo results of animal experiments showed that the fermented soy whey could significantly improve the disease activity index (DAI) and colon morphology in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis mice. This study showed that the combined lactic acid bacteria starter cultures had important value-added relevance on the effective reuse of the soy whey by-product.