Despite functional properties of table olive polyphenols, as well as promising performance of table olives as carriers of probiotic strains, studies focusing on the combined effect of phenolic compounds with such wild probiotic bacteria have not yet been reported. The potential synergism between phenolic compounds and probiotic bacteria may be taken advantage of to selectively stimulate proliferation or activity of probiotics aimed at pathogen control. Moreover, this combination may provide an opportunity to produce cells in biofilms, with enhanced attachment ability and tolerance to environmental stress (Flemming & Wingender, 2010). Such biofilms are a barrier against pathogen harmful antigens in the environment, and thus account (at least partially) for the mucosal barrier function (Rendueles, Kaplan, & Ghigo, 2012).
In view of the above, the major goal of this work was to elucidate the relation between probiotic strains originating in fermented table olives and the food-borne pathogen Escherichia coli, when in the presence of OL and HT at the recommended daily dose for table olives.