Folate deficiencies are widespread around the world. Promoting consumption of folate-rich foods could be a sustainable option to alleviate this problem. However, these foods are not always available. Cereals, being a staple food, could contribute to folate intake. They are fermented prior to consumption in many African countries, and fermentation can modify the folate content. In Ethiopia, injera is a widely consumed fermented flat bread. The main drivers of its fermentation are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The aim of this work was to isolate and identify folate-producing LAB from injera fermented dough and to evaluate their ability to increase folate status after depletion in a rat model. Among the 162 strains isolated from 60 different fermentations, 19 were able to grow on a folate-free culture medium and produced 1 to 43 µg/L (24 h, 30 °C incubation). The four highest folate producers belonged to the Lactobacillus plantarum species. The most productive strain was able to enhance folate status after depletion in a rat model, despite the relatively low folate content of the feed supplemented with the strain. Folate-producing L. plantarum strain has potential use as a commercial starter in injera production.
Keywords: bioavailability; cereal; fermentation; folate; lactic acid bacteria; rats.