{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T11:48:22Z","timestamp":1776340102229,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":90,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756339200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UI\/BD\/151108\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/151108\/2021"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UIDP\/00153\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00153\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UIDB\/50011\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/50011\/2020"]}]},{"name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","award":["UIDP\/50011\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/50011\/2020"]}]},{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE (UID\/50006-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado para a Qu\u00edmica Verde\u2014Tecnologias e Processos Limpos) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials","award":["UI\/BD\/151108\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/151108\/2021"]}]},{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE (UID\/50006-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado para a Qu\u00edmica Verde\u2014Tecnologias e Processos Limpos) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials","award":["UIDP\/00153\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/00153\/2020"]}]},{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE (UID\/50006-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado para a Qu\u00edmica Verde\u2014Tecnologias e Processos Limpos) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials","award":["UIDB\/50011\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/50011\/2020"]}]},{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE (UID\/50006-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado para a Qu\u00edmica Verde\u2014Tecnologias e Processos Limpos) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials","award":["UIDP\/50011\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDP\/50011\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study presents a characterization of exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing Streptococcus thermophilus strains isolated from goat milk, including information about structural and functional characteristics of EPS. The isolates exhibited efficient lactose fermentation, broad carbohydrate utilization, and desirable enzymatic activities for technological applications, particularly aminopeptidases and acid phosphatase, while lacking harmful enzymes and virulence traits. Among the four strains studied, GM4 emerged as a particularly promising probiotic due to its sensitivity to all tested antibiotics, high \u03b2-galactosidase activity (56.2 \u00d7 103 Miller units), moderate antioxidant capacity (scavenging 22.7% of DPPH and 5.7% hydroxyl radicals), cholesterol-lowering ability (26.9%), high auto-aggregation capacity (46.8%), and co-aggregation (&gt;30%) with key foodborne pathogens including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. GM4 produced an EPS with high dextranase resistance, and its production was enhanced in lactose-enriched media (yield = 2.58 g\/L). The purified EPS consisted of two heteropolysaccharides (12.0 kDa and 112 kDa), primarily composed of glucose (Glc, 53%) and mannose (Man, 29%), with minor contributions from uronic acids (8%), ribose (6%), arabinose (2%), and galactose (2%). Key glycosidic linkages included (1\u21924)-Glc, (1\u21922,6)-Man, (1\u21922)-Man, and (1\u21924,6)-Glc. Functional assays demonstrated notable antioxidant activity, with 52.5% DPPH and 12.9% hydroxyl radical scavenging at 3 mg\/mL EPS. These findings highlight S. thermophilus GM4 as a safe, technological, and functional candidate for dairy and probiotic applications, with its EPS exhibiting properties suitable for functional food incorporation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14173013","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]],"date-time":"2025-08-28T09:31:12Z","timestamp":1756373472000},"page":"3013","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Exopolysaccharide (EPS)-Producing Streptococcus thermophilus: Functional and Probiotic Potential"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0262-4517","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominika","family":"Jur\u00e1\u0161kov\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Vanessa C.","family":"Pires","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5182-0082","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Susana C.","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2519-8979","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u00f3nia S.","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"given":"F\u00e1bio","family":"Bernardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICECO\u2014Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6304-5105","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dmitry","family":"Evtyugin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CICECO\u2014Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8898-6342","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuel A.","family":"Coimbra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0870-0071","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Celia C. G.","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITAA), University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hu, T., Cui, Y., Zhang, Y., Qu, X., and Zhao, C. (2020). Genome Analysis and Physiological Characterization of Four Streptococcus thermophilus Strains Isolated from Chinese Traditional Fermented Milk. Front. Microbiol., 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2020.00184"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Grizon, A., Theil, S., Callon, C., Gerber, P., Helinck, S., Dugat-Bony, E., Bonnarme, P., and Chassard, C. (2023). Genetic and technological diversity of Streptococcus thermophilus isolated from the Saint-Nectaire PDO cheese-producing area. Front. 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