Fatty acid fingerprints of Streptococcus mutans NCTC 10832 grown at various temperatures

Abstract

Fatty acid fingerprints were determined gas chromatographically for S. mutans NCTC 10832, which had been grown in batch brain heart infusion at a series of nine temperatures ranging from 29.0 to 40.0°C. The major acids at all temperatures were n-palmitic and octadecenoic acids. Other acids detected at all temperatures included n-myristic, palmitoleic, n-stearic and eicosenoic acids. An increase in temperature resulted in a decrease in the proportion of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, indicating the importance of accurate temperature control in such gas-liquid chromatographic-chemotaxonomic studies.