Genome sequence of Pediococcus pentosaceus TOKAI 759m, studies on functions as a soymilk yogurt starter.

Soymilk yogurt, a non-dairy fermented product made from soymilk, has gained popularity as a functional food due to its potential health benefits. It is rich in probiotics, which can help improve gut microbiota balance, enhance digestive health, and support immune function. Additionally, soymilk yogurt contains high levels of isoflavones, which may help regulate hormones. As more people seek plant-based and lactose-free alternatives, understanding the nutritional value and health effects of soymilk yogurt is becoming increasingly important in modern dietary practices. Our previous study indicated that the soymilk yogurt made by using Pediococcus pentosaceus TOKAI 759m (TK 759m) modulates the gut microbiota and can potentially prevent pro-inflammatory cytokines production (Nakashima Y. et.al., Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 88 2024, 1349_1361) and neuroinflammation (Nakashima Y. et.al., Current Research in Food Science, 10, 100993, 2025) in vivo. However, in the above studies, the whole genome of this strain had not been read, and it was unclear whether it was safe for use in food production. Therefore, in this experiment, we performed whole-genome sequencing of TK 759m. In the future, we will explore and evaluate the safety and further functionality of this strain based on the whole genome data.

豆浆酸奶（soymilk yogurt）是以豆浆为原料制成的无乳发酵制品（non-dairy fermented product），因其潜在健康益处而作为功能性食品广受青睐。其富含益生菌（probiotics），可改善肠道菌群（gut microbiota）平衡、提升消化健康水平并支持免疫功能。此外，豆浆酸奶还含有高水平的异黄酮（isoflavones），有助于调节机体激素水平。随着越来越多人寻求植物基（plant-based）及无乳糖（lactose-free）饮食替代品，了解豆浆酸奶的营养价值与健康效应在现代膳食实践中的重要性日益凸显。我们此前的研究表明，以戊糖片球菌（Pediococcus pentosaceus）TOKAI 759m（TK 759m）制备的豆浆酸奶可调节肠道菌群（gut microbiota），并在体内实验（in vivo）中潜在抑制促炎细胞因子（pro-inflammatory cytokines）的产生（Nakashima Y. 等，《生物科学、生物技术与生物化学》，88，2024年，1349-1361）与神经炎症（neuroinflammation）（Nakashima Y. 等，《食品科学当前研究》，10，100993，2025年）。然而，在上述研究中，该菌株的全基因组尚未完成测序，且其是否可安全应用于食品生产尚不明确。因此，本实验对TK 759m菌株开展了全基因组测序（whole-genome sequencing）。未来，我们将基于该全基因组数据，对该菌株的安全性及潜在功能展开探索与评估。