Osmotic stress affects the stability of freeze-dried Lactobacillus buchneri R1102 as a result of intracellular betaine accumulation and membrane characteristics

Aims To help cells to better resist the stressful conditions associated with the freeze-drying process during starter production, we investigated the effect of various osmotic conditions on growth, survival and acidification activity of Lactobacillus buchneri R1102, after freeze-drying and during storage for 3 months at 25°C. Methods and Results High survival rates during freeze-drying, but not during storage, were obtained when 0·1 mol l−1 KCl was added at the beginning of fermentation, without any change in membrane properties and betaine accumulation. This condition made it possible to maintain a high acidification rate throughout the process. In contrast, the addition of 0·6 mol l−1 KCl…