Survival and Growth of Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria in Refrigerated Pickle Products

Abstract

We examined 10 lactic acid bacteria that have been previously characterized for commercial use as probiotic cultures, mostly for dairy products, including 1 Pediococcus and 9 Lactobacilli. Our objectives were to develop a rapid procedure for determining the long-term survivability of these cultures in acidified vegetable products and to identify suitable cultures for probiotic brined vegetable products. We therefore developed assays to measure acid resistance of these cultures to lactic and acetic acids, which are present in pickled vegetable products. We used relatively high acid concentrations (compared to commercial products) of 360 mM lactic acid and 420 mM acetic acid to determine acid resistance with a 1 h treatment. Growth rates were measured in a cucumber juice medium at pH 5.3, 4.2, and 3.8, at 30 °C and 0% to 2% NaCl. Significant differences in acid resistance and growth rates were found among the 10 cultures. In general, the acid resistant strains had slower growth rates than the acid sensitive strains. Based on the acid resistance data, selected cultures were tested for long-term survival in a simulated acidified refrigerated cucumber product. We found that one of the most acid resistant strains (Lactobacillus casei) could survive for up to 63 d at 4 °C without significant loss of viability at 10 CFU/mL. These data may aid in the development of commercial probiotic refrigerated pickle products.

Growth conditions and survival kinetics during storage of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG for the design of a sustainable probiotic whey‐based beverage containing Costa Rican guava fruit pulp

“…The loss of viability of the LGG increased over time for the CRG beverage ( P < 0.05). Similar behavior was reported by Fan, Breidt, Price, and Pérez‐Díaz (2017) for L. acidophilus in cucumber juice stored at 4 °C (Fan et al., 2017). Previous research demonstrated that Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr‐32 survival in a whey‐based beverage formulated with Psidium guajava pulp did not show significant differences from the values determined at 7 and 14 days (Buriti, Freitas, Egito, & dos Santos, 2014).…”

A Vegetable Fermentation Facility Hosts Distinct Microbiomes Reflecting the Production Environment

“…4). This is expected since Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae are the primary bacterial actors early in vegetable fermentations and other food microbiomes (2,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). Similarly, high abundances of Leuconostocaceae were observed in the fermentation room, both on the floor and in filled barrels, and on most door handle surfaces ( Fig.…”

Characterization of Diversity and Probiotic Efficiency of the Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Fermentation of Selected Raw Fruit and Vegetable Juices

“…For instance, some species in the genus Weissella have potential as probiotics, owing to their ability to produce exopolysaccharides (e.g., Weissella cibaria and Weissella confusa ) ( Fusco et al, 2015 ). Moreover, a number of studies have reported the dominant effective microbes present in traditionally fermented pickles, fermented dough, yogurt, and fermented wine, as well as the production of foods fermented with LAB strains from their natural microbiota ( Ben Omar and Ampe, 2000 ; Pinto et al, 2015 ; Fan et al, 2017 ; Motato et al, 2017 ). These analyses, highlighting the diversity and richness of microbial communities among the fermented FVJs, provided the foundation for the separation of LAB isolates ( Pinto et al, 2015 ).…”