@article{jfnr202513112,
author={{Hwang, Subin and Seo, Kun-Ho and Kim, Hyunsook},
title={Enhancing Antioxidant Activity and Polyphenol Content of Prebiotic <i>Cucumis</i><i> </i><i>Melo</i> L. Byproducts through Probiotic Bioconversion Using <i>Lentilactobacillus</i><i> </i><i>kefiri</i> DH5},
journal={Journal of Food and Nutrition Research},
volume={13},
number={11},
pages={421--427},
year={2025},
url={https://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/13/11/2},
issn={2333-1240},
abstract={Conventional physicochemical pretreatments (ultrasound, microwave, mild-acid hydrolysis) can require high energy/heat and lack specificity, risking degradation of heat-sensitive phytochemicals and uncontrolled alterations in composition. To address these limitations, we evaluated microbial bioconversion¡ªspecifically <i>Lentilactobacillus</i><i> </i><i>kefiri</i> DH5, a phenolic-transforming LAB that remains underexplored relative to commonly used L. plantarum¡ªto enhance polyphenols/antioxidant capacity in <i>Cucumis</i><i> </i><i>melo</i> L. byproducts (whole residue vs. juice-derived sludge). We compared sonication, microwave, and citric-acid pretreatments¡ªeach with/without subsequent fermentation¡ªto bioconversion alone. Fermentation of untreated whole residues (NB) produced the largest gains in total polyphenols and the highest DPPH scavenging activity, outperforming physicochemical pretreatments and even sonication-assisted fermentation; citric-acid pretreatment showed no benefit. Representative values include NB DPPH 82.56% vs. 66.6% in untreated controls; citric-acid¨Ctreated samples failed to improve even after bioconversion. Sludge (juice residues) showed limited responsiveness, consistent with substrate depletion after juicing. In conclusion, selective, enzyme-driven <i>L.</i><i> </i><i>kefiri</i> DH5 bioconversion resolves prior extraction limitations and maximizes bioactivity without harsh processing, positioning <i>Cucumis</i><i> </i><i>melo</i> L. byproducts as promising prebiotic-oriented ingredients.},
doi={10.12691/jfnr-13-11-2}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}