Nutritional Strategies to Optimise the Probiotic Antimicrobial Efficacy of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM against Enteric Pathogens: Comparative Analysis between Natural Bee Honey and Mineralised Sugars
Abstract
The human gastrointestinal tract is home to a complex and dynamic community of microorganisms that collectively influence health, nutrition, and disease. Pathogens have evolved mechanisms to exploit host resources more aggressively, often at the expense of both the host and beneficial microbes, whereas probiotic organisms rely on mutualistic interactions with the host and are generally restricted to dietary and endogenous substrates present in the gut. Pathogens frequently adopt invasive and parasitic strategies, directly extracting nutrients from host tissues. Within this ecosystem, probiotic bacteria play critical roles in maintaining gut homeostasis, enhancing immune defences, inhibiting pathogens, and supporting digestive processes. However, their efficacy is variable and often dependent on nutrient availability. Optimising nutritional support may enhance probiotic growth and antimicrobial activity. This study highlights the critical role of nutritional strategies in optimising the antimicrobial efficacy of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM against enteric pathogens. The comparative evaluation between mineralised sugar (sugar + mineral supplementation) and honey as nutritional strategies for Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM highlights important metabolic and ecological considerations in optimising probiotic antimicrobial efficacy. The central difference lies in how these substrates interact with the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas (EMP) glycolytic pathway and in their subsequent ability to drive lactic acid accumulation, bacteriocin synthesis, and pathogen inhibition. The findings confirm the inherent superiority of honey, but also give a crucial nuance that glucose with sufficient minerals will likely be the only possible substitute that can match the performance of honey. This evidence points to the fact that honey has an exceptionally high probiotic stimulation potency, and no other sugar other than mineralised-glucose (glucose+minerals) can equal this potency. Honey outperformed other sugars because it served as a source of energy to the metabolism of L. acidophilus and as an independent antimicrobial agent.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Vitalis Barasa Namiti, Andrew Kimang’a Nyerere, PhD, John Ndemi Kiiru, PhD
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