Ninety-eight Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from Italian and Argentinean cheeses were evaluated
for probiotic potential. After a preliminary subtractive screening based on the presence of msa and
bsh genes, 27 strains were characterized. In general, the selected strains showed high resistance to
lysozyme, good adaptation to simulated gastric juice, and a moderate to low bile tolerance. The capacity
to agglutinate yeast cells in a mannose-specific manner, as well as the cell surface hydrophobicity was
found to be variable among strains. Very high b-galactosidase activity was shown by a considerable
number of the tested strains, whereas variable prebiotic utilization ability was observed. Only tetracycline
resistance was observed in two highly resistant strains which harbored the tetM gene, whereas
none of the strains showed b-glucuronidase activity or was capable of inhibiting pathogens. Three strains
(Lp790, Lp813, and Lp998) were tested by in vivo trials. A considerable heterogeneity was found among
a number of L. plantarum strains screened in this study, leading to the design of multiple cultures to
cooperatively link strains showing the widest range of useful traits. Among the selected strains, Lp790,
Lp813, and Lp998 showed the best probiotic potential and would be promising candidates for inclusion
as starter cultures for the manufacture of probiotic fermented foods.