New and unconventional sources of probiotics may provide unique health efficacy by producing healthy,
bioactive compounds. The current study evaluates the fermentation efficiency and intrinsic effects on the
bioactive substances produced by Lactobacillus apis (L. apis) as a novel strain isolated from the bumblebee gut,
two different isolated Lactobacillus communities from breast milk (L.BM) and camel milk (L.CM). Lactobacillus
plantarum (L. plantarum) was used as a reference during rice and oats fermentation. The obtained results indi-
cated that L.BM and L.CM treatments gave the highest production of phenolics and flavonoids values for different
substrates and had the highest impact on the antioxidant capacity. All treatments demonstrated the ability to
improve protein quality and properties significantly as compared to non-fermented flours. The best patterns were
obtained with L.BM, followed by L. apis and L.CM compared with L. plantarum and non-fermented rice samples.
The L.BM and L. apis showed a significant enhancement of volatile components in fermented rice, while L.CM
displayed a pronounced effect on volatile production among oats treatments.