The Study of the Growth of Escherichia coli on Pectins

Abstract

The growth of E. coli on pectins isolated from various plant sources was studied. We used commercial apple pectin AU701 and low-methyl esterified pectins (6-22%) from callus cultures of tansy Tanacetum vulgare L. (TV, tanacetan), duckweed Lemna minor L. (LM, lemnan), and campion Silene vulgaris (M.) G. (SV, silenan). Bacterial growth was also tested on the enzymatic degradation products of tanacetan pectin. For comparison, bacterial growth was studied on easily metabolizable carbon sources-glucose and lactose. E. coli was cultivated on solid media in Petri dishes and in liquid nutrient media in Erlenmeyer flasks at a temperature of +37°C and at room temperature. It was found that E. coli colonies do not form with growth on gels of tanacetan, lemnan and silenan. When growing on a gel of apple pectin, a weak bacterial growth is detected. However, E. coli is capable of growth on soluble products of enzymatic hydrolysis of tanacetan pectin-oligogalacturonides.