Chickpea fiber helps probiotic bacteria form biofilms
What it found
In lab tests, chickpea fiber made Bacillus subtilis bacteria stick together in biofilms and produce more of an antimicrobial pigment.
The bacteria also survived simulated digestion better when grown with chickpea fiber.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Biofilm and pigment
Chickpea fiber at 3% and 5% increased biofilm formation and the production of a reddish-pink pigment called pulcherrimin by Bacillus subtilis. At 1% chickpea fiber, there was no significant difference compared with chickpea milk alone.
Fiber comparison
In lab tests, chickpea fiber triggered strong biofilms with pigment, cellulose fiber made fragile biofilms without pigment, and Benefiber made no notable biofilm.
Bacterial attachment
Electron microscope images showed Bacillus subtilis cells tightly attached to chickpea fibers, while other fibers caused little or no bundling.
Gene activity
Chickpea fiber and cellulose fiber both increased the activity of a gene called tapA, which is involved in biofilm formation, in a dose-dependent way.
Survival in digestion
Bacteria grown with chickpea fiber survived simulated digestion about 100 times better than control bacteria. Cellulose fiber gave about a 10-fold increase and Benefiber about a 4-fold increase.
What the authors conclude
“Taken together, the ability of the CPF fibers to trigger biofilm formation by activation of tapA operon and the induced synthesis of pulcherrimin molecule provide novel avenues for developing functional food products.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the ability of chickpea fiber to trigger biofilm formation and pulcherrimin production offers new ways to develop functional food products.
- They suggest the main use could be improving bioencapsulation to deliver probiotics safely to the lower gastrointestinal tract.
- They add that scaling up the system could produce a more natural alternative food additive and ensure consumer safety.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if chickpea-derived prebiotic substances could be used as a scaffold for growing probiotic Bacillus subtilis to develop synbiotic chickpea-based functional food.
They grew Bacillus subtilis bacteria in lab media with different fibers, including chickpea fiber, Benefiber, and cellulose. They measured biofilm formation, pigment production, gene expression, and survival through a simulated digestion system.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests with bacteria, not studies in people. They cannot show what happens in the human gut.
- The simulated digestion system is a model, so it cannot prove how the bacteria would survive in a real person.
- The study did not test whether eating chickpea fiber with these bacteria has any health effect in people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Institute for Postharvest Technology and Food Sciences, Israel; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
The paper
- Title
- Chickpea-Derived Prebiotic Substances Trigger Biofilm Formation by Bacillus subtilis
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Amoah YS, Rajasekharan SK, Reifen R, Shemesh M (2021). Chickpea-Derived Prebiotic Substances Trigger Biofilm Formation by Bacillus subtilis . Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu13124228Free full textPubMed 34959781DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error