No abstract

Lactobacillus casei is a lactic acid bacterium (LAB) that colonizes diverse ecological niches and that has found broad commercial application. The aim of this study was to characterize the kinetics of biomass production, lactic acid production, and substrate consumption of Lactobacillus casei var. rhamnosus cultured in deproteinized milk whey. Batch culture experiments were performed in an instrumented, 2-L, stirred tank bioreactor using different inoculum concentrations (0.5 to 1.0 g/L) and lactose levels (35 to 70 g/L). The time series of experimental data corresponding to biomass growth, lactose consumption, and lactic acid formation were differentiated to calculate the corresponding kinetic rates. Strong exponentially dependent product inhibition effects were evident at low lactic acid concentrations, and lactic acid production rate was partially associated with biomass growth. A mathematical model is presented that reproduces the experimental lactose, biomass, and lactic acid concentration profiles.

In traditional yogurt manufacturing, the yogurt is not agitated during fermentation. However, stirring could be beneficial, particularly for improving heat and mass transport across the fermentation tank. In this contribution, we studied the effect of low-speed agitation during fermentation on process time, acidity profile, and microbial dynamics during yogurt fermentation in 2 laboratory-scale fermenters (3 and 5 L) with different heat-transfer characteristics. Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus were used as fermenting bacteria. Curves of pH, lactic acid concentration, lactose concentration, and bacterial population profiles during fermentation are presented for static and low-agitation conditions during fermentation. At low-inoculum conditions, agitation reduced the processing time by shortening the lag phase. However, mixing did not modify the duration or the shape of the pH profiles during the exponential phase. In fermentors with poor heat-transfer characteristics, important differences in microbial dynamics were observed between the agitated and nonagitated fermentation experiments; that is, agitation significantly increased the observable specific growth rate and the final microbial count of L. bulgaricus.