Multifunctional lactic acid bacteria from sugarcane juice with probiotic properties for gut adaptation, health benefits, food preservation and quality enhancement.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are promising probiotics and natural biopreservatives, yet non-dairy sources remain underexplored. We identified four LAB from sugarcane juice−Limosilactobacillus fermentum SCJ26, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SCJ27, L. fermentum SCJ28 and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus SCJ29, evaluated through an integrated “safety-to-application” framework. Unlike single-endpoint assessments, we combined gut-adaptation (acid, bile, phenol tolerance; adhesion traits), functional bioactivities (antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-biofilm), safety (antibiotic susceptibility, absence of hemolysis and DNase), and technological properties (EPS production, milk coagulation, biopreservation). SCJ28 and SCJ29 showed the highest simulated gastrointestinal survival, while SCJ26 and SCJ29 displayed superior aggregation and hydrophobicity. Functional bioactivities were strain-specific: SCJ27 produced inhibition zones up to ~ 20 mm against E. coli; SCJ29 reduced E. coli biofilm by ~ 53% and SCJ27 reduced S. aureus biofilm by ~ 70%; SCJ29 reached ~ 86% DPPH scavenging. Filtered supernatants effectively reduced microbial loads in food matrices, with reductions of up to 3.8 log10 in fish and 3.6 log10 in tomato. The isolates produced exopolysaccharides and coagulated milk, underscoring technological potential. None of the isolates exhibited hemolytic or DNase activity, and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles were typical for LAB, but warrant genomic follow-up to ascertain resistance traits are intrinsic. Overall, the LAB strains exhibited multifunctionality, supporting both health and food applications.