Want to know, which pickled vegetable is the best probiotic?

You have 39–300 trillion bacteria living inside you. Much of these bacteria reside in your gut, and the majority are quite harmless. Some are helpful, and a small number can cause disease. Having the right gut bacteria can have numerous health benefits from weight loss, improved digestion to enhance immunity and reduced risk of diseases. 

Probiotics, which are a certain type of friendly bacteria, provide health benefits when eaten. They are well-known as “health-friendly bacteria”. Probiotics are live microorganisms that can be found in fermented foods and cultured milk. One such bacteria is Lactic Acid Bacteria. The types and quantities of lactic acid bacteria in the food determine is probiotic potential.

A team led by N. Hayeeyusoh from Yala Rajabhat University, Thailand studied the potential of lactic acid bacteria derived from pickled local vegetables against bacteria that cause diseases in the intestine. They selected Look-Niang, tare, and white turmeric from the local market and found that these three picked vegetables had remarkable antimicrobial potential. To be precise pickled tare showed the best antimicrobial potential against both S. aureus and E. coli and so des Look-Niang, thus both could be used as natural probiotics.

This study has shown the antimicrobial capabilities of fermented local vegetables and can become a viable alternative to functional foods fortified with probiotics to help maintain a healthy digestive system.

This research work has been published in the Pakistan Journal of Nutrition