Decrease of insoluble glucan formation in Streptococcus mutans by co-cultivation with Enterococcus faecium T7 and glucanase addition

OBJECTIVES: To develop preventive canine oral health bio-materials consisting of probiotics and glucanase to reduce insoluble glucan and volatile sulfur compound formation. RESULTS: Co-cultivation of Enterococcus faecium T7 with Streptococcus mutans at inoculation ratio of 3:1 (v/v) resulted in 25% reduction in the growth of Streptococcus mutans. Amounts of soluble and insoluble glucans produced by S. mutans were decreased to 70 and 55%, respectively. Insoluble glucan was decreased from 0.6 µg/ml in S. mutans culture to 0.03 µg/ml in S. mutans co-cultivated with E. faecium T7 in the presence of Lipomyces starkeyi glucanase. Volatile sulfur compound, a main component of halitosis produced by Fusobacteria nucleatum, was decreased by co-cultivating F. nucleatum with E. faecium. CONCLUSION: E. faecium and glucanase can be combined as potentially active ingredients of oral care products for pets by reducing plaque-forming bacteria growth and their by-products that cause cavity and periodontal disease. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10529-017-2478-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.