Bioprotective strains
LAB were previously isolated from cocoa fermentation[11], with the selection of strainsLimosilactobacillus (Lactobacillus ) fermentum 5.2,Lactiplantibacillus (Lactobacillus ) plantarum 6.2, and L. plantarum 7.1 (nomenclature updated according to Zheng et al. [12]), due to the bioprotective potential pointed out in several studies addressing the species. The strains were stored in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe broth (MRS; HiMedia® Laboratories, Mumbai, India) + 20% glycerol, in an ultrafreezer at -80 ºC, and reactivated in MRS broth, incubated for 18 h at 37 ºC.