SummaryA study was made of the utilization of citrate in milk by some lactic acid bacteria. WhenStreptococcus diacetilactis1007 was grown alone or with eitherStreptococcus cremoris924 orLactobacillus caseiB 142/C or with both these latter organisms, > 99% of the milk citrate was utilized within 5 days.L. caseiB 142/C andL. casei/Str. cremorisutilized 57 and 14% of the citrate, respectively. WhenL. caseiC 2 andL. caseiC 5 were grown in milk in whichStr. cremoris924 had been previously grown, 94 and 64%, respectively, of the citrate was utilized after 7 days at 30°C.Cheeses were made using a citrate-fermenting and a non-citrate-fermenting starter and citrate concentrations of the milks, wheys and curds were determined during cheese-making. WithStr. cremoris924, citrate was preferentially retained in the curd at pressing, the concentration in the curd moisture being 2·9 times that in the whey. With the mixed starterStr. cremoris924/Str. diacetilactis1007, the curd at pressing and from the press contained only 27 and 5%, respectively, of the citrate present in theStr. cremoriscurd at these times.Cheeses were made usingStr. cremoris924, combinations ofStr. cremoris/Str. diacetilactis1007, or with δ-gluconic acid lactone instead of starter, with and without the addition ofL. caseiC 5, in order to examine the ability of the latter organism to produce ‘blowing’ in the sense of distension of the Cryovac wrapping of film-wrapped cheeses.L. caseiC 5 neither accelerated the decrease in cheese citrate nor produced blowing of the film-wrapping. Possible reasons for this behaviour are discussed.
Antibiotic resistance of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Chinese yogurts
