Human Health Benefits and Microbial Consortium of Stevia Fermented with Barley Nuruk

Abstract

In this study, the microbial community present during the barley yeast fermentation of stevia leaves and its correlation with antioxidant, anti-obesity, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as metabolites, were investigated using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Stevia was fermented using commercial TSB media (TSB 1, TSB 3, and TSB 5) and sucrose (Sucrose 1, Sucrose 3, and Sucrose 5) for 1, 3, and 5 days, respectively. Stevia ferments showed higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity compared to samples incubated with sucrose for 5 days, and all six ferments inhibited nitric oxide production in a concentration-dependent manner in LPS-induced mouse macrophages. Furthermore, UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis identified 23 related substances, including 10 terpenoids (including rubusoside, steviolbioside, and rebadioside derivatives), dulcoside A, and phlomisoside II, which are indicators of stevia, as well as five flavonoids, four phenolic acids, and four fatty acids. We also identified the microbial community during fermentation via the next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene for fungi. The results showed that TSB 1 and Sucrose 1 ferments were dominated by the pathogens Enterococcus hirae (58.93%) and Cronobacter sakazakii (80.92%), while samples fermented for more than 3 days were pathogen-free and dominated by lactic acid bacteria such as Pediococcus stilesii (73.37%). Microbial community analysis using the ITS region showed that Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, classified as a yeast rather than a mold, dominated the stevia fermentation regardless of the fermentation duration. In particular, the microbial community of the fermentation with a sucrose solution was dominated by S. fibuligera by more than 99% throughout the fermentation periods of 1, 3, and 5 days. Finally, to apply the stevia ferments topically to human skin, skin irritation tests were performed on 30 volunteers. The results showed that the highly concentrated extracts (1 mg/mL) of all six stevia ferments were hypoallergenic. Taken together, these findings suggest that barley nuruk fermented from stevia leaves with a sucrose solution offers promise as a natural ingredient for use in functional foods and cosmetics.