Probiotic potential of indigenous Lactobacillus strains isolated from Algerian goatskin bag cheese Bouhezza using physiological and comparative genomic analyses

This work aims to identify new indigenous Lactobacillus probiotic strains from traditional Algerian Bouhezza cheese, interlinking in vitro physiological tests and in silico genomic analyses. Preliminary screenings based on acid bile tolerance, hydrophobicity, and autoaggregation led to the selection of three strains identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (B2 and R10) and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (FM11). These strains produced a moderate biofilm and ability to adhere to Caco-2/TC7 intestinal cells. They were sensitive to antibiotics, non-hemolytic, lacked virulence factors, and were able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Genome analysis revealed genes related to gastrointestinal stress tolerance, adhesion to epithelial cells, and antimicrobial activity, without antibiotic resistance or virulence genes. According to these results, Bouhezza cheese can be considered as a novel source of probiotic bacteria, to develop innovative starters that may improve fermentation processes and novel functional foods.