3) Lactic Acid Bacteria Flashcards
what are 3 production methods of LAB?
- from break down of simple CHO (glucose, sucrose, galactose) by lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
- from growth in the mouth. The acid they produce causes tooth decay and cavities
- from muscles during exertion (usually L-lactate)
what are the acidic properties of LAB from?
due to H atoms separating from the rest of the molecule by ionization
what can be used for LAB fermentation?
almost any C5 or C6 sugar
what are the 2 classes of LAB? what do they each produce? what pathways do they use?
homofermentation: 1 glucose –> 2 lactate (glycolytic pathway)
heterofermentative: 1 glucose –> 1 lactate + 1 CO2 + 1 ethanol + 1 ATP (6-PGPK pathway)
what are general characteristics of LAB?
- Gram-positive bacteria
- produces lactic acid during the fermentation of CHOs
- non-spore forming
- can be both rods and cocci
- commonly found on healthy mucosal surfaces of humans and animals (mouth, intestine, vagina)
- very adapted to environments
rich in nutrients and energy sources with limited biosynthetic capability - has strategies to compete with other organisms (especially by producing acid and being acid tolerant)
what strategies do LAB have to compete with other organisms?
producing acid
being acid tolerant
is Bifidobacterum a LAB?
what is it often used for?
it appears to be a LAB, but is phylogenetically unrelated
it has a unique mode of sugar
added to yogurt
what are examples of the importance of LAB?
- involved in dairy, vegetable and cereal fermentations
- most popular and widely available human and animal probiotics
- used to decrease occurrence of disease in fish farms
- major part of the human microbiome (mouth, gut, vagina)
what are 4 most common strains of LAB?
streptococcus
tetrad-forming
coccoid
lactobacillus
what is the largest genera of LAB?
lactobacillus
what are characteristics of lactobacillus?
very heterogeneous; has species with a variety of phenotypic, biochemical and physiological properties
most acid tolerant of the LABs; thus will be the final successors of many lactic acid fermentations
associated with the oral cavity, GI tract, and vaginas of humans and animals
which is the most acid tolerant LAB? what is the result of this?
lactobacillus
will be the final successors of many LAB fermentations
what are 3 groups of lactobacillus? describe each.
- Obligately homofermentative: sugars are only fermented by glycolysis (group 1 lactobacili and other species from other genera)
- Facultatively heterofermentative: uses glycolysis for hexose fermentation, but some sugars have a heterolactic fermentation rxn
- Obligately heterofermentative: only the 6-PG/PK pathway is available. Key enzymes of glycolysis are missing
what is PTS? describe it.
phosphotransferase system
- function: translocate sugar across membrane with simultaneous phosphorylation (by phosphoenolyruvate - PEP as the phosphoryl door)
describe how LAB ferments lactose
- lactose is converted to glucose and galactose-6-phosphate by beta-galactosidase
- products enter another pathway