Acta Chimica Slovaca (ACS) publishes papers on fundamental and applied aspects of chemistry, biochemistry, chemical technology, chemical engineering and process control, biotechnology and food technology. Welcome are also topics which include chemical aspects of materials, physical chemistry and chemical physics, analytical chemistry, macromolecular chemistry and biomedical engineering.

Influence of aerobic and anaerobic conditions on the growth and metabolism of selected strains of Lactobacillus plantarum

Jana Smetanková *, Zuzana Hladíková, František Valach, Michaela Zimanová, Zlatica Kohajdová, Gabriel Greif, Mária Greifová

Department of Food Technology, Institute of Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

E-mail: * jana.smetankova@stuba.sk

Abstract: Three wild strains of Lactobacillus plantarum were investigated for their growth and ability to produce lactic acid, acetic acid and ethanol under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. They were tested at three different temperatures (30 °C, 37 °C and 45 °C). The growth of lactobacilli was studied by measuring optical density (OD) at λ = 600 nm and pH value at the following times. With increasing temperature difference of cell yield was observed. The final cell yield under aerobic conditions was higher. Organic acids and ethanol were analysed using an HPLC RID method. Formation of lactic acid (as the major metabolite) was the slowest during cultivation at 30 °C, but the final amount of lactic acid showed the highest values. Concentrations of metabolites produced by lactobacilli after 48th hours of cultivation were: 9.18—11.48 g.dm–3 (lactic acid), 0.84—1.65 g.dm–3 (acetic acid) and 2.51—4.03 g.dm–3 (ethanol). No significant differences (p = 0.05) were found in production of lactic acid and ethanol by different bacterial strains under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Statistically significant differences (p = 0.05) were observed in production of acetic acid by 2L2 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and for production of ethanol under anaerobic conditions by strains 1L5 and 2L2.

Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum, aerobic conditions, anaerobic conditions, growth, organic acids

Full paper in Portable Document Format: acs_0131.pdf

Acta Chimica Slovaca, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2012, pp. 204—210