Assaying the Formation of Beneficial Biofilms by Lactic Acid Bacteria and the Effect of Ayurvedic Plant Extracts on Their Enhancement

Antibiotic resistance is increasingly becoming more dangerous and harmful. This study aimed to obtain the optimal non-antibiotic, natural method to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria within the body. The two-fold purpose of this project was to determine which combination of bacteria would result in the most biofilm formation and then to assess the lowest, median, and highest biofilm formation combinations to see the effect of ayurvedic plant extracts on the biofilm. S. thermophilus, L. lactis, and L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides alone and L. lactis, L. mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides plus gooseberry extract resulted in the most biofilm formation. The results show that the addition of a plant extract can affect the biofilm growth of a bacteria combination. The applications of this study can be used to design probiotic supplements with added beneficial plant extracts.