Production of short-chain fatty acids and acetoin by plantarum-group lactobacilli

Abstract

Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), relative contents of short-chain fatty acids (acetic, butyric, isovaleric) and acetoin in cell-free supernatants of 15 plantarum-group lactobacilli were assessed in comparison with lactic acid bacteria of species Levilactobacillus brevis and Enterococcus faecalis. Interspecies and strain distinctions of studied bacteria were revealed in production of volatile fatty acids and acetoin. The performed cluster analysis has enabled to deduce that all isolated strains of species Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum differed from closely related Lactiplantibacillus plantarum cultures in generation of acetate and acetoin. Further investigation of taxonomic significance of the production level of volatile metabolites for differentiation of closely related species from L. plantarum phylogenetic group arouses special research interest. The obtained findings will be taken into account when choosing lactic acid bacterial strains for biopreparations of various purposes.