0000000000681075
AUTHOR
V. Phalip
A method for screening diacetyl and acetoin-producing bacteria on agar plates
A simple method for screening bacteria for diacetyl and acetoin production was developed. This method is based on the ability of diacetyl and acetoin to form a red insoluble complex with α-naphthol in the presence of creatine. Addition of carboxymethyl-cellulose containing calcium citrate in the medium allowed discrimination between citrate utilizing and non-utilizing bacteria.
Comparison of α-acetolactate synthase and α-acetolactate decarboxylase in Lactococcus spp. and Leuconostoc spp.
Cell-free extracts of Leuconostoc and Lactococcus species were tested for their alpha-acetolactate synthase and alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase activities. In Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides and Leuconostoc lactis, the Km of alpha-acetolactate synthase for pyruvate was close to 10 mM whereas it was 30 mM in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis. The Km of alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase for alpha-acetolactic acid was very low (0.3 mM) in Leuconostoc species in comparison to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis (60 mM). In the latter bacterium, alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase showed a sigmoidal de…
Purification and characterization of the catabolic ?-acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris
The α-acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris was purified to homogeneity in SDS-PAGE. The enzyme is a trimer of 3×55,000 Da. It was unstable but could be preserved by addition of pyruvate and thiamine pyrophosphate in the buffer. The enzyme exhibits Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and Km for pyruvate is 10 mM. Three intermediates in glucose metabolism (ATP, 3-phosphoglycerate, and phosphoenolpyruvate) exhibit a noncompetitive inhibition towards the enzyme. This enzyme does not require any divalent metal ion for activity. The α-acetolactate synthase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris is not inhibited by the branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and…
Diacetyl and acetoin production from the co-metabolism of citrate and xylose by Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides.
The co-metabolism of citrate plus xylose by Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides results in a growth stimulation, an increase in D-lactate and acetate production and repression of ethanol production. This correlated well with the levels of key enzymes involved. A partial repression of alcohol dehydrogenase and a marked stimulation of acetate kinase were observed. High citrate bioconversion yields in diacetyl plus acetoin were obtained at pH 5.2 in batch (11.5%) or in chemostat (up to 17.4%) culture. In contrast, no diacetyl or acetoin was detected in citrate plus glucose fermentation.