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@article{204740,
        author = {DR. SHYAMALA DEVI and DR. ANUSHA R and DR. AMBILI R S and DR DHIVYA CM},
        title = {Probiotic Potential of Fermented Rice Lactic Acid Bacteria in Regulating Gut Microbiota and Iron Bioavailability},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {3136-3144},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=204740},
        abstract = {Background
Fermented rice is a traditional staple food consumed by over one billion people across South and Southeast Asia. The fermentation process generates diverse communities of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) whose probiotic properties — particularly their capacity to modulate gut microbiota composition and enhance non-haem iron bioavailability — remain largely unexplored in the scientific literature. Given the dual burden of iron deficiency anaemia and intestinal dysbiosis in nutritionally vulnerable populations of the region, investigation of fermented rice LAB represents an important and underexplored area of nutritional science.
Objective
To isolate and characterise LAB strains from traditionally prepared fermented rice, evaluate their probiotic properties in vitro, and assess their capacity to enhance non-haem iron bioavailability and modulate gut microbiota diversity in a pilot human study.
Methods
LAB strains were isolated from five traditional fermented rice preparations (idli batter, ambali, panta bhat, ganji, and fermented rice water) and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Probiotic characterisation encompassed acid and bile tolerance, cell surface hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, antimicrobial activity, and haemolytic assay. Iron bioavailability was evaluated using an in vitro digestion-Caco-2 cell ferritin formation assay, with phytate quantified by HPLC. Gut microbiota modulation was assessed in a four-week pilot study (n = 10) using 16S rRNA V3-V4 amplicon sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform.
Results
Five LAB strains were isolated, of which Lactobacillus plantarum FR-LP01 exhibited the highest probiotic indices: acid survival >92% (pH 2.0, 2 h), bile tolerance >88%, cell surface hydrophobicity 68.3%, and strong antimicrobial activity against common enteric pathogens. Fermentation for 24 hours reduced phytate content by 61.2% and increased in vitro iron bioavailability by 38.4% relative to unfermented controls (p < 0.001). Post-intervention gut microbiota analysis revealed significant increases in Lactobacillus spp. (+85%, p = 0.003), Bifidobacterium spp. (+88%, p = 0.001), and Akkermansia muciniphila (+112%, p = 0.008), accompanied by a 40% reduction in Proteobacteria. Clinical iron parameters improved significantly, with serum ferritin rising by 50% (18.4 to 27.6 ng/mL, p = 0.004) and haemoglobin improving from 12.1 to 13.2 g/dL (p = 0.022).
Conclusion
Fermented rice LAB — particularly L. plantarum FR-LP01 — demonstrate robust probiotic credentials and a biologically plausible capacity to improve iron nutrition through phytate degradation and beneficial gut microbiota restructuring. These findings support adequately powered randomised controlled trials to validate the utility of traditional fermented rice as a cost-effective, culturally acceptable nutritional intervention for iron deficiency in rice-consuming populations.},
        keywords = {},
        month = {June},
        }