Partially chemically defined liquid medium development for intensive propagation of industrial fermentation lactobacilli strains

Abstract

An economic liquid growth medium was synthesised for high-rate production of cellular mass, lactic acid and bacteriocin in lactobacilli. Three lactobacilli that are applied extensively in industry-Lactobacillus casei NCIMB 11970, Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8014, Lactobacillus lactis NCIMB 8586-were chosen to test the medium's efficiency. These bacteria are chemoorganotrophs requiring rich, complex media for optimum growth. Contrary to the current practice of formulating a strain-specific medium, we attempted to prepare a universal broth that would allow easy formulation and optimisation. Man de Rogosa Sharp (MRS) medium, which can support the growth of lactobacilli, was found unsuitable for use in large quantities due to its high cost of preparation and its use of beef extract and peptone from poultry as nitrogen sources, which are not environmentally friendly and have potential health risks. The developed medium supported the growth of all the three bacteria equally, offering good maximum yields and incorporating only the chemical compounds needed, resulting in an improvement in the growth rate of the bacilli of between 50 % and 241 % compared to the same strains grown on MRS. Lactic acid production was between 28.6 and 35.74 g L-1 and bacteriocin production ranged from 110 to 130 IU mL-1. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and the University of Milan 2012.