Probiotics Biofilm-Integrated Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes: A New Starter Culture for Fermented Milk Production

Electrospun nanofiber membranes are widely investigated in the past few decades as candidates for tissue engineering, which can mimic natural extracellular matrix (ECM) and improve cell adhesion, proliferation, and expression on nanofiber membranes. However, the formation of bacterial biofilms on nanofiber membranes and application of the biofilm-integrated nanofiber membranes remain largely unknown. Here, electrospun cellulose acetate nanofiber membranes are first utilized as scaffold materials for Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) biofilm formation. Nanofiber membranes proved to be an excellent scaffold for bacteria biofilm with high stability, where biofilms were interlocked with nanofibers forming a cohesive structure. In comparison with planktonic bacteria, L. plantarum biofilms on nanofiber membranes show excellent gastrointestinal resistance. Instead of decreasing, the number of viable cells increased after 3 h digestion in vitro. The L. plantarum biofilm-integrated nanofiber membranes were us...