Invitro Preselection Criteria for Probiotic Weissella Confusa and
Bifidobacterium bifidum Strains of Fermented Cereals Origin

Probiotic traits of Weissella confusa and Bifidobacterium bifidum strains previously isolated from fermented cereals were evaluated. Strains of Weissella confusa and Bifidobacterium bifidum were tested for their in vitro tolerance to bile, resistance to low pH, cell adhesion, antagonistic and hemolytic activity. Among the two organisms, Bifidobacterium bifidum showed a better growth at pH 3.5 than Weissella confusa which increased with incubation time. Increase in the concentration of bile did not affect the multiplication of viable cells up to 0.8%, beyond which the multiplication was slow in the case of both Weissella confusa and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Bifidobacterium bifidum showed good adherence to the substratum than Weissella confusa. Both the organisms were non hemolytic and antagonistic against common enteric pathogens, which is an ideal characteristic of a probiotic.