Abstract
The purpose of this research is to identify and characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species in bee bread produced by honey bees (Apis Cerana) in the east mountain area of Suzhou, China. We isolated three strains, Apilactobacillus kunkeei (S1), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (S2), and Lacticaseibacillus pentosus (S3), with S2 producing the highest amount of lactic acid. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these isolates, along with the type strain, formed a distinct sub-cluster within the LAB group. The strains exhibited non-hemolytic activity, lacked functional virulence factors, demonstrated high acid and bile tolerance, strong adhesion to intestinal cells, and antimicrobial activity against pathogens, collectively indicating their safety and high probiotic potential for therapeutic applications. Our studies demonstrated that S2 and S3 grew well in the presence of stevia leaf powder and steviosides, while S1 showed reduced growth and inhibitory effects. Importantly, the stevia-fermented strains exhibited strong probiotic potential along with significant antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antifungal properties in vitro. These findings highlight their potential applications in the food, feed, and pharmaceutical industries. Future research should focus on in vivo experiments to validate these results and evaluate compatibility among the strains before their application in functional foods.