The use of a simple flow cytometry method for rapid detection of spores in probiotic Bacillus licheniformis-containing tablets

Xiao-Ling Zheng; Zhi-Qiang Xiong; Jie-Qun Wu

doi:10.1007/s10068-017-0022-5

The use of a simple flow cytometry method for rapid detection of spores in probiotic Bacillus licheniformis-containing tablets

Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017 Feb 28;26(1):167-171. doi: 10.1007/s10068-017-0022-5. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Xiao-Ling Zheng¹, Zhi-Qiang Xiong², Jie-Qun Wu³

Affiliations

¹ 1Zhejiang Institute for Food and Drug Control, Hangzhou, 310004 China.
² 2School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093 China.
³ 3Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014 China.

Abstract

Detection of the number of vegetative cells and endospores is necessary for quality control during the production of orally administered probiotic Bacillus licheniformis-containing tablets (BCT). However, there is no standard method for the rapid detection of vegetative cells and endospores in China. In this study, a simple flow cytometry (FCM) method was used to monitor the population dynamics of BCT. Using a specific fluorescent stain, SYBR green I, flow cytometric analysis could easily differentiate two morphological states of B. licheniformis. Compared with plate count assay (PCA) for determining the number of vegetative cells and endospores, the percentage of endospores determined by FCM was ~10% higher than that by PCA. Advantages of the FCM method over conventional methods include lower labor work, shorter detection time, and higher accuracy. Therefore, this simple FCM method could be a practical tool for monitoring quality control during the production of probiotic BCT.

Keywords: Bacillus licheniformis-containing tablets; flow cytometry; probiotics; rapid detection of spores.