Maple sap as a rich medium to grow probiotic lactobacilli and to produce lactic acid

Abstract

Aims: To demonstrate the feasibility of growing lactobacilli and producing lactic acid using maple sap as a sugar source and to show the importance of oligosaccharides in the processes. Methods and Results: Two maple sap samples (Cetta and Pinnacle) and purified sucrose were used as carbon sources in the preparation of three culture media. Compared with the sucrose‐based medium, both maple sap‐based media produced increased viable counts in two strains out of five by a factor of four to seven. Maple sap‐based media also enhanced lactic acid production in three strains. Cetta sap was found to be more efficient than Pinnacle sap in stimulating lactic acid production and, was also found to be richer in various oligosaccharides. The amendment of the Pinnacle‐based medium with trisaccharides significantly stimulated Lactobacillus acidophilus AC‐10 to grow and produce lactic acid. Conclusions: Maple sap, particularly if rich in oligosaccharides, represents a good carbon source for the growth of lactobacilli and the production of lactic acid. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides a proof‐of‐concept, using maple sap as a substrate for lactic acid production and for the development of a nondairy probiotic drink.

Detection of Inulin, a Prebiotic Polysaccharide, in Maple Syrup

“…In this study, the presence of inulin in maple syrup potentially supports an investigation by Cochu et al, who compared the growth of probiotic Lactobacillus sp. when using raw maple sap and sucrose as carbon sources.…”

Comment on “Some immunomodulatory effects of probiotic bacteria might be due to porcine neutrophil elastase inhibitor, a serpin present in MRS broth” [Immunol. Lett. (December) (in press) 1]

“…Similarly, a growth medium containing soy peptone was also used successfully for culturing probiotic bacteria in food applications that fully meet vegetarian criteria [3]. Meat-free "Veggietones" pea-based culture media, together with maple sap as carbon source, can also be used for the growth of lactobacilli and the production of lactic acid [4]. Similarly, an incomplete MRS medium without beef extract was also required to bypass interference of spectrophotometric measurements of H 2 O 2 concentration in growing lactobacilli [5].…”

Metabolic activity of tree saps of different origin towards cultured human cells in the light of grade correspondence analysis and multiple regression modeling

“…1). Since tree saps are complex biological matrices abundant in components that can differently modulate the metabolism of cultured cells [16,22], we decided to investigate the composition of the collected saps in order to identify key components that were responsible for the observed differences in HepG2 metabolism rate.…”