The World Kimchi Research Institute, for the first time in the world, clarifies the survival principle of "functional conversion" of lactic acid bacteria in the intestines.

For the first time in the world, it has been confirmed that lactic acid bacteria, which lead the fermentation of kimchi, restructure their gene expression and switch to new functions for survival and settlement when they reach the human intestinal environment after consumption. The World Kimchi Research Institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT (Director Jang Hae-chun) announced on the 6th that it has elucidated the adaptation mechanism of kimchi lactic acid bacteria that restructure gene expression and switch functions as they move from food to the intestines. While it has been known that kimchi lactic acid bacteria are beneficial for intestinal health, it was not clear how lactic acid bacteria grown in an acidic fermentation environment adapt and change functions once they move to the intestines. This study is significant as it experimentally proved the "functional redesign process" where microorganisms systematically change their gene expression programs according to ...