Introduction
Overmuch cholesterol in the blood and diet is major risk factor for coronary heart disease and colon cancer. For each 1 mmol above the normal cholesterol level, the risk of coronary heart disease was approximately 35% higher and coronary death was 45% higher. Recently, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have attracted attention as potential cholesterol-lowering agent. Consumption of dairy products containing probiotics has been proposed as a means to lower serum cholesterol. Several studies indicated consumption of certain cultured dairy products could lower total plasma cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The reduction of serum cholesterol could be an important health benefit of LAB, demonstrated in human, mouse, pig studies and rats. Therefore, the investigation of effective natural ingredients from food that could decrease concentrations of serum cholesterol has recently drawn a great deal of attention. Many kinds of Lactobacillus cultures exerted potential hypocholesterolemic activity.
Fermented mustard (picked mustard green) is made from green mustard and its production is a spontaneous fermentation process by a mixed microbial population mainly composed of LAB. The aim of this study was to screen lactobacilli with probiotic characteristics isolated from traditionally fermented mustard, and to determine the effect of the screened Lactobacillus strains for their ability to lower cholesterol and the strains were also identified.