The Effect of Respiration, pH, and Citrate Co-Metabolism on the Growth, Metabolite Production and Enzymatic Activities of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris E30

Leuconostoc mesenteroides includes strains used as starter and/or adjunct cultures for the production of several fermented foods. In this study, the effect of anaerobic and respiratory cultivations, as well as of citrate supplementation and different pH values, was evaluated on growth, biomass, metabolite, and enzymatic activities (pyruvate oxidase, PDX; NADH-dependent oxidase, NOX; NADH-dependent peroxidase, NPR) of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris E30. We compared the respiration-increased growth rate and biomass production of Leuc. mesenteroides E30 to anaerobic cultivation. A supplementation of citrate impaired the growth rate of the respiratory cells. As expected, anaerobic cultures did not consume oxygen, and a similar trend in oxygen uptake was observed in respiratory cultures. The aerobic incubation caused changes in the metabolic pattern, reducing the production of ethanol in favour of acetic acid. Citrate was already exhausted in the exponential phase and did not affect the yields in acetic acid and ethanol. NOX activity increased in the presence of oxygen, while catalase was also detected in the absence of hemin. The absence of H2O2 suggested its degradation by NPR and catalase. Respiratory cultivation provided benefits (increase in growth rate, biomass, and activity in antioxidant enzymes) for Leuc. mesenteroides E30. Therefore, the exploitation of respiratory phenotypes may be useful for the formulation of competitive starter or adjunct cultures.