Genetics and Biotechnology of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Gasson, Michael J.; Vos, Willem M. de

doi:10.1007/978-94-011-1340-3

Cited by 66 publications

References 232 publications

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Updates in the Metabolism of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Mayo

Aleksandrzak‐Piekarczyk

Fernández

et al. 2010

Biotechnology of Lactic Acid Bacteria

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Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are fermentative bacteria naturally dwelling in or intentionally added to nutrient -rich environments where carbohydrates and proteins are usually abundant. The effi cient use of nutrients and the concomitant production of lactic acid during growth endow LAB with remarkable selective advantages in the diverse ecological niches they inhabit. Besides lactic acid, LAB metabolism produces a variety of compounds, such as diacetyl, acetoin and 2 -3 -butanediol from the utilization of citrate, and a vast array of volatile compounds and bioactive peptides from the catabolism of amino acids. The enzymatic reactions of LAB metabolism further modify the organoleptic, rheological, and nutritive properties of the raw materials, giving rise to fi nal fermented products. Last decade witnessed an impressive amount of data on several aspects of LAB physiology and genetics. The latest knowledge was gathered through sequencing and analysis of LAB genomes, and the subsequent use of post -genomic techniques, such as proteomics, comparative genome hybridization, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. Manipulation of the metabolic pathways of LAB to improve their effi ciency in various industrial applications (as starters, adjunct cultures, and probiotics) was undertaken soon after the development of early engineering tools. The availability of complete genome sequences of different LAB species and strains has expanded our ability to further study LAB metabolism from a global perspective, strengthening a full exploitation of LAB ' s metabolic potential.

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