KR102843473B1 - Composition for reducing nitrate containing Lactobacillus kimchicus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nitrate-reducing composition comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a lysate or an extract thereof, and to probiotics and synbiotics compositions comprising the same. The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention is isolated from kimchi and is safe, has excellent nitrate-reducing ability and iron ion-reducing ability, and can effectively supply useful nitric oxide to the body, and thus can be usefully utilized in various health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, feed, and fertilizer fields.

Description

Composition for reducing nitrate containing Lactobacillus kimchicus

The present invention relates to a nitrate-reducing composition comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a pulverized substance or an extract thereof, and a probiotic or synbiotic composition comprising the same.

Organic and inorganic nitrogen pollutants originate from wastewater, agricultural fertilizers, and livestock waste. Their emissions are steadily increasing. Currently, they are exceeding the self-purification capacity of natural ecosystems and flowing into rice paddies, fields, groundwater, rivers, and lakes, causing various environmental problems. In most rural areas in Korea, nitrate ( _NO3- ⁾ pollution from agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, and livestock waste accounts for the largest proportion.

Nitrate ions in groundwater or surface water are not harmful to the human body in and of themselves. However, when nitrate is absorbed into the body, it binds to hemoglobin in the blood, causing methemoglobinemia (cyanosis), which occurs primarily in infants and children. Furthermore, it has been reported that excessive nitrate intake, especially when combined with foods containing amines or amides, which are found in protein foods, can react with nitrogen compounds in the gastrointestinal tract to produce carcinogens called nitrosamines.

Meanwhile, nitric oxide, which is produced through reduction from nitrate, can provide various health benefits in the body, and in particular, it can help improve and prevent cardiovascular disease by suppressing blood pressure increases. It is also known that in excessive amounts, it can induce the death of harmful microorganisms and help restore normal flora. In particular, nitric oxide supplied through the oral cavity can help control the growth of harmful microorganisms and normal flora in the oral cavity, and nitric oxide absorbed through the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract can be effective in suppressing blood pressure increases and improving cardiovascular disease.

Therefore, there is a need for research to remove nitrates that may enter the body and provide nitric oxide that can have a beneficial effect on the body, and research is being conducted to utilize various probiotics to achieve this goal.

However, new probiotics that are safe and exhibit excellent nitrate reduction and nitric oxide provision activities are not widely known, and therefore, research into them is necessary.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention completed the present invention by confirming that the strain exhibited excellent nitrate reduction activity and nitrogen oxide supply activity while studying Lactobacillus kimchicus, a lactic acid bacterium derived from kimchi, whose safety was guaranteed.

Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a composition for reducing nitrate, a probiotics composition, a synbiotics composition and a health functional food composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body, comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a lysate or an extract thereof.

To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a composition for reducing nitrate, comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a pulverized substance or an extract thereof.

The present invention also provides a probiotic composition for nitrate reduction comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus or a culture thereof.

The present invention also provides a synbiotic composition comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus or a culture thereof as a probiotic; and fruits or vegetables as a prebiotic.

In addition, the present invention provides a health functional food composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body, comprising the composition.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention is isolated from kimchi and is safe, has excellent nitrate reducing ability and iron ion reducing ability, and can effectively supply useful nitric oxide to the body, so it can be usefully utilized in various health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, feed, and fertilizer fields.

Figure 1 (A) is a diagram showing the results of confirming the nitrate reducing effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393) , Lactobacillus plantarum ( ATCC 8014) , Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( ATCC 53103) , and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530).
Figure 1 (B) is a diagram showing the results of confirming the nitrate reduction effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus according to the culture time (p<0.05, one way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test).
(A) and (B) of Figure 2 are Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393) , Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 8014) , and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. This diagram shows the results of confirming the nitrite scavenging activity (A) and the nitrite scavenging activity (B) according to the culture time of GG (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) ( ATCC 53103) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530) (p<0.05, one way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test).
Figure 3 shows the nitrite/NO production effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus in sterilized samples of cabbage, red lettuce, and radish. (**, p<0.01, Student's t-test)
Figure 4 shows the effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus on nitrite/NO production according to culture time in sterilized samples of cabbage, red lettuce, and radish. (p<0.05, one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test)
Figure 5 shows the nitrite/NO production effects of Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393), Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 8014), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) in sterilized samples of cabbage and red lettuce. (**, p<0.01, Student's t-test)
Figure 6 shows the nitrite/NO production effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus in non-sterilized samples of cabbage, red lettuce, and radish. (**, p<0.01, Student's t-test)
Figure 7 shows the effect of Lactobacillus kimchicus on nitrite/NO production in hot air-dried or freeze-dried samples of cabbage, red lettuce, and radish. (**, p<0.01, Student's t-test and p<0.05, one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test)
Figure 8 shows the iron (Fe3+) reduction activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454 ) , Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393 ), Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 8014), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( ATCC 53103) , and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530). (p< ^0.05 , one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test)

The present invention relates to a composition for reducing nitrate, comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a pulverized substance or an extract thereof.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention, its culture, pulverized product or extract has excellent nitrate and iron (Fe ³⁺ ) reduction activity and can provide nitric oxide that exhibits beneficial effects in the body, and thus can be usefully utilized in various health functional foods, pharmaceuticals, feeds and fertilizers.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

In the present invention, Lactobacillus kimchicus is a kimchi fermentation lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi and is known as a strain that produces beta-glucosidase. Lactobacillus kimchicus KCTC 12976 was used in the present invention, but the method of acquisition is not limited thereto.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus according to the present invention can be included in the composition in various forms, and can be processed and included in a form well known to those skilled in the art, as long as it can achieve the effects of nitrate reduction and subsequent nitrite production and nitric oxide production. For example, the Lactobacillus kimchicus can be included in the form of live or dead cells, preferably live cells, and can be included in the form of a culture cultured in a known liquid or solid culture medium, a lysate or lysate obtained by dissolving, crushing, or homogenizing the cell membrane of the strain, an extract obtained by extracting the strain with an inorganic or organic solvent, etc.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus according to the present invention can have nitrate reducing ability, and the nitrate reducing ability can be used interchangeably with nitrate removing ability. The nitrate reducing or removing ability means reducing and removing nitrate present in a sample and generating them into nitrite and nitric oxide (NO). Therefore, the Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention can reduce nitrate into nitrite, and further have nitrite scavenging ability.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention may be particularly useful for reducing nitrates present in fruits or vegetables. Recently, it has been reported that various fruits or vegetables contain nitrates, and thus fruits and vegetables can be used as natural nitrate sources. Preferred fruits or vegetables as a nitrate source are not limited thereto, but may be at least one selected from the group consisting of lettuce, spinach, pumpkin, green onion, cabbage, radish, Chinese cabbage, chives, carrots, celery, potatoes, beets, red beets, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, paprika, watermelons, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, cantaloupe, and strawberries, and more preferably, red lettuce, radish, and Chinese cabbage.

In addition, the Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention can reduce nitrate present in a sample through nitrate reducing ability to supply nitric oxide, and can provide useful nitric oxide to the body through this reaction.

In addition, the Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention has excellent reduction activity not only for nitrate but also for iron, which is rarely observed in other lactic acid bacteria strains, and thus can be used for iron (Fe ³⁺ ) reduction.

In the present invention, the nitrate reducing composition can be utilized in various forms for the purpose of reducing nitrate and thereby supplying nitrite and nitrogen oxide, and for example, can be a pharmaceutical composition, food composition, quasi-drug composition, health functional food composition, food additive composition, feed composition for an individual requiring supply of nitrogen oxide, and can also be utilized as a fertilizer composition when supplied to soil.

The present invention also provides a probiotic composition for nitrate reduction comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus or a culture thereof.

Probiotics are understood to be live microorganisms that improve the intestinal microbial environment of the gastrointestinal tract of animals, including humans, and thus have a beneficial effect on the health of the host. Probiotics are live microorganisms with probiotic activity. When administered to humans or animals in the form of dried cells or fermented products, either as single or complex strains, they can have a beneficial effect on the host's intestinal flora.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention can be usefully utilized as a probiotic preparation because it can reduce nitrate present in a sample into nitric oxide useful in the body.

In addition, since the Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention can effectively reduce nitrate present in a sample, preferably a fruit or vegetable, to nitric oxide, it can be utilized in the form of synbiotics using the fruit or vegetable as a prebiotic and Lactobacillus kimchicus, or a culture thereof, as a probiotic. In this case, the fruit or vegetable is utilized as a natural source of nitrate, and the effect of supplying nitric oxide to the body by Lactobacillus kimchicus can be maximized. Therefore, the synbiotic composition can be used for supplying nitric oxide to the body, and through supplying nitric oxide, it can be involved in controlling the growth of harmful microorganisms present in the oral cavity and restoring normal flora as an oral probiotic, or it can be used for various purposes such as suppressing blood pressure increase and improving cardiovascular diseases through nitric oxide absorbed through the oral cavity or digestive tract, suppressing harmful bacteria on the skin, maintaining intestinal flora, suppressing harmful bacteria in the female reproductive organs, etc.

The Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention has excellent nitrate-reducing ability, and thus has excellent ability to reduce nitrate present in sterilized or non-sterilized fruits or vegetables, and freeze-dried or hot-air-dried fruits or vegetables without limitation. Therefore, the fruits or vegetables as prebiotics included in the synbiotic composition may be in sterilized or non-sterilized form, or in freeze-dried or hot-air-dried form.

In addition, the present invention provides a health functional food composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body, including a nitrate-reducing composition comprising Lactobacillus kimchicus, a culture, a pulverized substance or an extract thereof, a nitrate-reducing probiotic composition or a synbiotic composition.

The various health benefits resulting from the supply of nitric oxide to the body are as described above. When the Lactobacillus kimchicus of the present invention is used as a health functional food, it can be included alone or in combination with other foods or food ingredients, and can be used appropriately according to a conventional method. The amount of the active ingredient mixed can be appropriately determined depending on the purpose of use (prevention, health, or therapeutic treatment). Generally, when manufacturing a food or beverage, the composition of the present invention can be added in an amount of 15 parts by weight or less, 10 parts by weight or less, 1 to 15 parts by weight, 1 to 10 parts by weight, 1 to 5 parts by weight, or 0.1 to 15 parts by weight based on the total weight. However, in the case of long-term intake for the purpose of health and hygiene or health control, the amount can be below the above range, and since there is no problem in terms of safety, the active ingredient can be used in an amount above the above range.

There is no particular limitation on the type of the above food. Examples of foods to which the above substance can be added include dairy products including meat, sausage, bread, chocolate, candy, snacks, confectionery, pizza, ramen, other noodles, gum, ice cream, various soups, beverages, tea, drinks, alcoholic beverages, and vitamin complexes, and all foods in the conventional sense are included. The above food composition can be used as a food material such as milk or yogurt, food and beverage, or functional food. The food composition can contain various flavoring agents or natural carbohydrates as additional ingredients. The above-mentioned natural carbohydrates are monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as maltose and sucrose, polysaccharides such as dextrin and cyclodextrin, and sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol. As sweeteners, natural sweeteners such as thaumatin and stevia extract, or synthetic sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame can be used.

The food composition may also contain nutrients, vitamins, electrolytes, flavoring agents, coloring agents, pectic acid and its salts, alginic acid and its salts, organic acids, protective colloid thickeners, pH adjusters, stabilizers, preservatives, glycerin, alcohols, carbonating agents used in carbonated beverages, or combinations thereof. The food composition may also contain fruit pulp for the production of natural fruit juices, fruit juice drinks, vegetable drinks, or combinations thereof. Such additives may be selected in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the composition.

Duplicate contents are omitted in consideration of the complexity of this specification, and terms not otherwise defined in this specification have meanings commonly used in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by way of examples. However, the following examples are only illustrative of the present invention, and the content of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Example 1. Confirmation of nitrate reduction activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus

In order to derive lactic acid bacteria with nitrate reducing ability among various lactic acid bacteria, the nitrate reducing activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454) , Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393), Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 8014 ) , Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) , and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530) was confirmed through the production of nitrite and nitric oxide. 7.1, 7.4, and 7.7 log CFU/ml lactic acid bacteria were cultured in 5% MRS broth containing 2 mM nitrate, and nitrite formation was confirmed during 72 hours of culture, and the results are shown in Fig. 1. At this time, nitrite and nitric oxide produced in the culture medium were analyzed using the Griess reaction, which is converted to a red azo compound by sulfanilamide and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (NED). That is, 150 μL of the supernatant obtained by centrifugation (8,000×g, 3 min) of a sample at each hour was mixed with 50 μL of a 1% sulfanilamide (w/v) solution dissolved in 5% phosphoric acid (v/v), and the mixture was reacted at room temperature for 10 minutes. Afterwards, the mixture was mixed with 50 μL of 0.1% NED (w/v) and reacted for 10 minutes in a dark place at room temperature, and the absorbance was measured at 540 nm. All experimental results were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation through three replicate experiments.

As shown in A of Fig. 1, among the six types of lactic acid bacteria, only Lactobacillus kimchicus showed a nitrate reduction effect, and as shown in B of Fig. 1, it was confirmed that nitrite/NO production increased with the Lactobacillus kimchicus culture time in all experimental groups of 7.1, 7.4, and 7.7 log CFU/ml, and that the production reached saturation after 48 hours.

Example 2. Confirmation of nitrite scavenging activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus

In addition to nitrate reduction activity, Lactobacillus kimchicus was confirmed to have nitrite scavenging activity and additional reduction ability. Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393), Lactobacillus plantarum ( ATCC 8014) , Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( ATCC 53103) , and Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530) were cultured at 7.1, 7.4, and 7.7 log CFU/ml in 5% MRS containing 50 _μM NaNO2 , and the lactic acid bacteria were tested. Changes in nitrite concentration were determined according to the number of strains (A) at 24 hours and the incubation time of 6 to 72 hours (B) in the 7.7 log CFU/ml experimental group. The results of determining the nitrite scavenging activity of each strain according to the number of strains and incubation time are shown in Fig. 2. At this time, the level of nitrite remaining in the culture medium was analyzed using the Griess reaction described in Example 1. All experimental results were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation through three replicate experiments.

As shown in Fig. 2, Lactobacillus kimchicus exhibited significantly superior nitrite scavenging activity compared to other lactic acid bacteria, and it was confirmed that the nitrite scavenging activity increased depending on the number of strains and the culture time.

The above results show that among lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus kimchicus in particular not only exhibits excellent activity in reducing nitrate to nitrite, but also has excellent activity in scavenging nitrite, so that it can be converted into reduced nitrogenous substances including nitric oxide.

Example 3. Confirmation of the reducing activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus in vegetables.

In Examples 1 and 2, it was confirmed that Lactobacillus kimchicus has nitrate reducing and nitrite scavenging abilities. Therefore, it was confirmed whether Lactobacillus kimchicus exhibits the same activity using vegetables, which are natural nitrate sources, as a nitrate source, and whether it can be utilized as a synbiotics mixed with bacteria and vegetables.

Fermented samples were prepared using cabbage, red lettuce, and radish as vegetables. Specifically, cabbage and radish were mixed with water twice their pre-drying weight, and red lettuce was mixed with water three times their pre-drying weight, and then ground in a blender. Afterwards, samples were sterilized under autoclave conditions (experimental group 1) or not sterilized (experimental group 2). In addition, samples were prepared by hot-air-drying and powdering the vegetables (experimental group 3) and by freeze-drying and powdering them (experimental group 4). All experimental results shown in each figure are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation through more than four repeated measurements.

3.1 Confirmation of nitrite production in sterilized vegetable samples (experimental group 1)

Sterilized vegetables were inoculated with 1x (1%) or 10x (10%) Lactobacillus kimchicus bacteria, cultured at 37°C for 24 hours, and the nitrite/NO production in the culture solution was analyzed. At this time, the sterilized vegetable pulverized liquid and the bacteria MRS inoculated liquid were mixed at a ratio of 95:5 (v/v) and cultured, and the nitrite and NO production in the supernatant after centrifugation (8,000×g, 3 min) of the culture solution were measured using the same Griess reaction as in Example 1. The results are shown in Fig. 3.

In the control group that was not inoculated with Lactobacillus kimchicus, no nitrite was produced at all, but as shown in Fig. 3, excessive nitrite was detected in cabbage and red lettuce inoculated with Lactobacillus kimchicus. In cabbage, more nitrite was produced as the number of inoculated bacteria increased. In red lettuce, more nitrite was produced with just 1% inoculation, but it was confirmed that when the bacteria were inoculated in excessive amounts, the produced nitrite was rather eliminated by medium components, etc., and the yield actually decreased.

Meanwhile, 1x the number of bacteria (1%) was inoculated into sterilized cells using the above method, and the nitrite/NO production results according to the culture time were measured for up to 48 hours, and the results are shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 4, it was confirmed that the production of nitrite by Lactobacillus kimchicus in the sterilized vegetable sample group reached almost saturation within 18 to 24 hours.

To compare whether nitrite was produced when four different lactic acid bacteria were cultured using cabbage and red lettuce as a nitrate source, Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393) , Lactobacillus plantarum ( ATCC 8014) , and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( ATCC 53103) were cultured. 1% was inoculated into the sample and cultured at 37°C for 24 hours, and the results of confirming the amount of nitrite produced in the culture solution are shown in Figure 5.

As shown in Fig. 5, the other four strains produced little nitrite through vegetable fermentation, which is consistent with the results of Example 1. These results confirm once again that among various lactic acid bacteria, only Lactobacillus kimchicus exhibits a nitrate reduction effect, and in particular, can exhibit reduction activity using vegetables as a nitrate source.

3.2 Confirmation of nitrite production in non-sterilized vegetable samples (experimental group 2)

In order to confirm the nitrite-producing ability in unsterilized samples, 1% Lactobacillus kimchicus was inoculated or not in pulverized liquid samples of unsterilized cabbage, red lettuce, and radish, and cultured at 37°C, and the nitrite/NO produced in the culture solution was measured, and the results are shown in Fig. 6.

As shown in Fig. 6, in the experimental group that was not inoculated with Lactobacillus kimchicus, nitrite production was confirmed to be very low, but in the inoculated group, nitrite production was confirmed to be up to 40 times higher than that of the uninoculated group in just 6 hours. In particular, in the experiment with sterilized vegetable samples in 3.1, excellent nitrite production was confirmed even in radishes, which had not previously produced nitrite. It is thought that the nitrite produced in the uninoculated group is due to the various microbial communities present in the vegetables.

Meanwhile, as the incubation time increased to 24 hours, the fermentation time increased and the amount of nitrite production gradually decreased. This result means that the fermentation time should be shortened when using non-sterilized vegetable samples.

3.3 Confirmation of nitrite production in hot air-dried samples (experimental group 3) or freeze-dried samples (experimental group 4)

Hot-air-dried or freeze-dried cabbage, red lettuce, and radish powder samples were dispersed in 2% (based on dry weight) saline solution, and then cultured at 37°C for 6 hours with or without inoculation with 1% Lactobacillus kimchicus. The amount of nitrite produced in the culture medium in each experimental group was measured, and the results are shown in Fig. 7.

As shown in Figure 7, the Lactobacillus kimchicus inoculated group showed significantly superior nitrite production effects compared to the non-inoculated control group in both hot air drying and freeze drying.

The above results show that Lactobacillus kimchicus can reduce nitrate and produce nitrite and NO using various types of vegetable samples that were sterilized, non-sterilized, freeze-dried, and hot-air dried as a nitrate source.

Example 4. Confirmation of iron reduction activity of Lactobacillus kimchicus

In addition to nitrate reduction activity, an experiment was conducted to determine whether Lactobacillus kimchicus also has iron ion (Fe3+) reduction activity. Lactobacillus kimchicus (KCTC 12976), Lactobacillus lactis (ATCC 11454), Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 393), Lactobacillus plantarum ( ATCC 8014), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( ATCC 53103) , Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCTC 3530) 7.1, 7.4, and 7.7 log CFU/ml lactic acid bacteria were incubated in 5% MRS containing 100 μg/mL ferric sulfate. and the ferric ion reduction activity was confirmed after 24 hours of culture. At this time, the ferric ion reduction activity of each strain was evaluated using ferrozine. The culture solution was taken at each time point, and the supernatant was recovered by centrifugation (8,000 × g, 3 min). Then, 150 μL of the supernatant and 50 μL of 1 mM ferrozine were mixed and reacted in a dark place at room temperature for 20 minutes, and the absorbance was measured at 562 nm. The results of confirming the ferric ion reduction ability of each lactic acid bacteria strain are shown in Fig. 8. All experimental results were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation through more than three repeated experiments.

As shown in Fig. 8, in all experimental groups inoculated with the same number of bacteria, Lactobacillus kimchicus exhibited significantly superior iron reduction activity, and the other five strains showed almost no iron ion reduction activity, confirming that Lactobacillus kimchicus has an iron ion reduction activity that is up to 1000 times higher than that of other lactic acid bacteria strains.

Through the above results, it was confirmed that Lactobacillus kimchicus is a strain with excellent reducing power, exhibiting not only nitrate reducing activity but also iron ion reducing activity.

While specific aspects of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific descriptions merely represent preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the substantial scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (13)

A composition for reducing nitrate, comprising a Lactobacillus kimchicus strain having nitrate reducing ability (wherein, the strain is deposited under the number KCTC 12976).
A composition for reducing nitrate, wherein the Lactobacillus kimchicus strain having the nitrate reducing ability (here, the strain is deposited as KCTC 12976) reduces nitrate to nitrite.
A composition for reducing nitrate, wherein the Lactobacillus kimchicus strain having nitrate reducing ability (here, the strain is deposited as KCTC 12976) has nitrite scavenging ability in the first paragraph.
In claim 1, the composition is a nitrate reducing composition for reducing nitrate present in fruits or vegetables.
In claim 4, the nitrate reducing composition is at least one selected from the group consisting of lettuce, spinach, pumpkin, green onion, cabbage, radish, Chinese cabbage, chives, carrots, celery, potatoes, beets, red beets, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, paprika, watermelons, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, cantaloupes, and strawberries.
In claim 1, the composition is a nitrate reducing composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body.
In claim 1, the composition is a nitrate reducing composition for iron (Fe ³⁺ ) reduction.
A probiotic composition for nitrate reduction, comprising a Lactobacillus kimchicus strain having nitrate reducing ability (wherein, the strain is deposited as KCTC 12976).
As a probiotic, a Lactobacillus kimchicus strain having nitrate reducing ability (here, the strain is deposited as KCTC 12976) or a culture thereof; and
A synbiotic composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body, comprising fruits or vegetables as prebiotics.
delete A composition according to claim 9, wherein the fruits or vegetables are sterilized or non-sterilized.
A composition according to claim 9, wherein the fruits or vegetables are freeze-dried or hot-air-dried.
A health functional food composition for supplying nitric oxide to the body, comprising the composition of claim 1, claim 8 or claim 9.