Abstract
1,4-Dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA) is a bifidogenic growth stimulator (BGS) and could be a functional food ingredient since bifidobacteria are beneficial for human health. For that reason, lactic acid bacteria producing DHNA have been screened. A lactic acid bacterium LP1 strain isolated from a natural cheese was confirmed to produce DHNA, analyzed by a HPLC method. The strain was identified as Lactobacillus casei by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The cell-free supernatant of fermented whey produced by L. casei LP1 presented the BGS activity for three bifidobacterial strains such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis KCTC 3127, Bifidobacterium bifidum KCTC 3202, and Bifidobacterium breve KCTC 3220 which were human-originated. To the best of our knowledge, a L. casei strain which can produce DHNA was firstly identified in this study.