Mahvieh, an Amazing Nutraceutical Bridge between Traditional and Modern Diet

Probiotic foods are products comprising of sufficient quantities of live microorganisms. The most important class of probiotic bacteria are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, found in huge amount in dairy products, including kefir and yogurt. Probiotic microorganisms are most probable discovered in fermented fish foods as well. In this study, for the first time, we introduced a fermented fish food, which is customarily manufactured in southern Iran called Mahvieh. This fermenting product prepared from a kind of fish named motto (in native language) or sardines. This work aimed to specify total content of mineral elements, fat and protein in this food stuff and identify the potential probiotic microorganisms. In this regard, various samples were gathered from various area of the southern Iran (Narman, Varavi, Lamard); each was independently analyzed and mineral elements such as nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and sulphur, as well as total lipid, fatty acids and protein content were established. The microorganisms in this seafood were isolated and identified by morphological and biochemical approaches along with probiotic features. The ultimate bacterial species were then isolated on the basis of these experiments and ultimately were recognized as normal microbial flora in this fermented seafood product. The findings of this research point out that the dominantly is belonged to the Lactobacillus genus in all samples, and the provided Mahvieh can be considered as a nutritional fermented seafood containing good probiotic bacteria.