The beneficial effects of functional fermented milk on reducing the risk of Clostridium perfringens in Vivo

Clostridium species strains in hard cheese pose significant risks to food safety and consumer health. This study evaluated the physiological effects aimed to determine the effect of consuming Ras cheese containing Clostridium perfringens (RC-Cl. Per.) in rats and examined whether functional fermented milk containing probiotic or protective Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could mitigate these effects. Male albino rats are assigned to four groups: a negative control (G1) fed uncontaminated Ras cheese (G1), a positive control fed C. perfringens–contaminated Ras cheese (G2), contaminated cheese supplemented with probiotic fermented milk (G3), and contaminated cheese supplemented with fermented milk containing protective cultures (G4). Growth performance, fecal anaerobic spore-forming bacteria, hematological indices, plasma biochemical parameters, and lipid profiles were evaluated. Our results finding rats receiving probiotic fermented milk (G3) had the lowest fecal anaerobic spore-forming bacterial counts, and C. perfringens was not detected in their feces after the feeding period. Plasma glucose levels were significantly lower in G3 and G4 compared with G1 and G2. Several hematological parameters differed among groups; however, these changes were interpreted as physiological associations. No statistically significant differences were observed in liver or kidney function markers among treatments. Probiotic and protective cultures were associated with favorable changes in lipid-related parameters, including reduced LDL cholesterol compared with rats fed contaminated cheese alone. Overall, functional fermented milk containing LAB may reduce intestinal viability of C. perfringens and modulate selected metabolic parameters following dietary exposure to contaminated cheese. However, conclusions are limited to bacterial load reduction and biochemical associations, as toxin production, intestinal colonization, and inflammatory markers were not assessed.