Anti-freezing Property and Mechanism of Lactic Acid Bacteria

Abstract:

During industrial production of starters, Lactic Acid Bacteria are subjected to cold shock by preservative techniques like freezing, frozen storage, and vacuum freeze-drying. Moreover, starters subjected to these pressures need to function effectively during application at low temperature used in the perservation of fermented foods and curing of cheese. All of these factors can influence the quality of starter culture and its fermented foods to some extent. The survival and physiological conditions of the starter bacteria preserved by such techniques (freezing, frozen storage, and lyphilization) will determine their functionality in such applications. Therefore, a better understanding of the responses and mechanisms of Lactic Acid Bacteria under low temperatures and freezing may contribute to the protection of freezing, fermentation and storage for starter culture and fermented foods when they are suffered in low temperature processes. In this study, the protective mechanisms needed for starter bacteria to survive in above mentioned preservative techniques with good functionality were analyzed. Based on these analyses, we have proposed protection methods that would improve the functionality of starter bacteria preserved by freezing, frozen storage and/or lyophilization.