The present invention provides a method of controlling growth of unwanted microorganisms by limiting their access to manganese. More specifically, the present invention provides a method of inhibiting or delaying growth of yeast and mold by reducing the manganese concentration in a product which is preferably a food product. The invention also provides manganese scavengers and uses thereof to inhibit or delay fungal growth.

A composition, which comprises at least one of an AP-32 strain of Lactobacillus salivarius subsp. salicinius, a BLI-02 strain of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and fermentation metabolites thereof, has a physiological activity of elevating ability of brain tissue. The present invention may be used in form of a food composition or a pharmaceutical composition to elevate the ability of brain tissue.

A composition, which comprises at least one of an AP-32 strain of Lactobacillus salivarius subsp. salicinius, a BLI-02 strain of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and fermentation metabolites thereof, has a physiological activity of elevating ability of brain tissue. The present invention may be used in form of a food composition or a pharmaceutical composition to elevate the ability of brain tissue.

Provided herein, inter alia, are compositions of short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing microorganisms and methods of making and using the same to inhibit pathogenic bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tracts of an animal and additionally promote improvement of one or more metrics in an animal, such as increased bodyweight gain, decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR), improved gut barrier integrity, reduced mortality, reduced pathogen infection, and reduced pathogen shedding in feces.