The province of Ilocos Norte, situated in the Philippines, is widely acclaimed for its rich and diverse collection of edible plant species (Ilocos Norte Overview, 2015). These plants play a crucial role in sustaining the local community's dietary needs. Given the distinctive dietary practices of this region, there has been a growing scientific interest in exploring the potential health advantages associated with the consumption and extraction of these food plants. In contemporary scientific literature, the multifaceted advantages offered by these botanical specimens have been extensively documented and firmly established in recent times. In addition with their nutritive value, plant-food derived bioactive components which possess antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties have been previously reported (Gurbuz N. et al, 2018). However, a notable limitation in current literature is the inadequate exploration of the characteristics of these plants as potential natural reservoirs of probiotic microorganisms. These plants play a crucial role in serving as a significant ecosystem for the isolation of lactic acid bacteria, as highlighted in several studies conducted by Siezen et al. (2008), Cakir (2010), Venugopalan et al. (2010), and Baradaran et al. (2012). These scholarly works emphasize the importance of these plant communities in providing an ideal environment for the isolation and study of lactic acid bacteria. Whereas, the study of Timmerman et al in 2006 reported that the isolated lactic acid bacteria from the gut of animals can serve multifaceted benefits. The presence of diverse lactic acid bacteria in the digestive tract of animals is evident since it is a major component of gastrointestinal microflora (Gou, L. Krause at al. (2003) and Hernandez et al. (2008) isolated various genera belonging to lactic acid bacteria from calf rumen, such as, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, and Lactobacillus.

Lactic acid bacteria form a ubiquitous bacterial group that is widely distributed in various ecological niches, particularly those associated with plant and animal origins (Liu et al., 2014). These plant materials exhibit a high carbohydrate content, coupled with a slightly acidic pH, creating an optimal environment conducive to the proliferation of various microorganisms (Naeem et al., 2012). While lactic acid bacteria do not play a crucial role in the overall development or physiological functioning of plants, their significant biological activities render them highly valuable as supplements in the formulation of functional foods. Various species of lactic acid bacteria is a bacterial group known for its possession of probiotic functionalities for humans, especially when administered in adequate amount (FAO, 2006 & M’hamed et al., 2022).  These microorganisms are widely recognized for their remarkable capacity to engage in anaerobic metabolism, resulting in the production of lactic acid as their primary end-product. Moreover, they exhibit a diverse repertoire of metabolic activities, leading to the synthesis of a broad spectrum of metabolites that significantly influence the nutritional, sensory, and technological attributes of fermented food products. Consequently, LAB have garnered substantial attention and application in various domains: (i) as starter cultures, facilitating the controlled fermentation processes; (ii) as probiotics, offering potential health benefits when consumed; and (iii) in the production of valuable compounds, such as nutraceuticals, owing to their adaptability and versatile metabolism (Naeem et al., 2012; Emerenini et al., 2013; Ruiz Rodríguez et al., 2017a). These cited studies underscore the extensive utilization and scientific interest surrounding LAB due to their multifaceted contributions to the food industry and their potential impact on human health.

According to World Health Organization, these probiotic microorganisms play a vital role in human health for they possess immunologic, systemic, nutritional, and other physiologic functions to the host, paving a way to stimulate researchers’ interests in conducting probiotics related research and applications on a global level. Additionally, the following genera belonging to LAB including but not limited to Lactobacillus, non-pathogenic strains of Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, and Pediococcus (Khalid, K. 2011) have manifested functional benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-lipidemic, anti-diabetic, anti-allergy, treatment to intestinal disorders, and abilities to establish intestinal gut microflora & produce antimicrobial compounds which promote probiotics properties (Jeon et al., 2017). Recently, the abovementioned genera were recognized as food-grade microorganisms (Suardana & Suarsana, 2017 and Sofianna et al. 2020), and claimed by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as generally regarded as safe (GRAS), and were granted with Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) status by the European Food Safety Authority. Furthermore, on the field of agriculture, lactic acid bacteria are being utilized as direct-fed microbials (DFMs), silage inoculants, and probiotics for animal health (Doyle et. al., 2019). These microbe-based feed additive has been studied by numerous researchers where their reported benefits such as but not limited to the decrease in feal shedding of coliforms, ruminal development, improved feed efficiency, and reduction in the incidence of diarrhea (Krehbiel et al., 2012).

There are no data yet in the scientific literature regarding the microbial presence of different types of microorganisms - and lactic acid bacteria in particular - isolated from these edible plant species and animals. Present lactic acid bacteria from these food plants and animals in the province of Ilocos Norte are not yet explored in terms of their potential as probiotics through phenotypic characterization. This study serves as initial identification on the lactic acid bacteria based on their physiological activities, and combining the results of this study with the genotypic data later on will add another layer of confidence to the identification and characterization process, allowing to cross-reference the two sets of data, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the findings, as well as to enable the effective and safe utilization of lactic acid bacteria in various applications.

Initial identification on the lactic acid bacteria based on their physiological activities, to enable the effective and safe utilization of lactic acid bacteria in various applications.