ABSTRACT
The growth curve and the bacteriocin production by Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei M3-a strain isolated from Bulgarian yellow cheese, was studied using electroconductivity measurements in the culture medium (MRS). The bacteriocin produced by this bacterium inhibits strains belonging to the Candida species as well as Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633. The use of the direct impedance technique coupled with statistical treatment of the results for the strain's growth curve allowed the detection of the growth phase-related bacteriocin production. Definition of the average particle size and aggregation estimations for the cells of the bacteriocin-producing strain was also possible. The comparison of results of impedance measurements with results obtained by classic microbiological methods and microscopic observations confirms the good correlation between these methods. In addition, the advantages of an impedance method such as rapidity, simplicity and higher sensitivity are highlighted.
Subject(s)
Cheese/microbiology , Lactobacillus/growth & development , Bacterial Typing Techniques , Bacteriocins/metabolism , Colony Count, Microbial , Drug Resistance, Microbial , Electric Impedance , Food Microbiology , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Kinetics , Lactobacillus/metabolism , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Antibiotic activity, aminotransferase activity and composition of intracellular amino acids in low and high potent variants of Streptomyces hygroscopicus 155 were studied. The data of the study are indicative of some general regularities characteristic of amino acid metabolism in actinomycetes: an increased pool of the main aminodonor amino acids (alanine, asparaginic and glutaminic acids) and an increased activity of aminotransferases in the cultures of both the variants when grown in media with readily assimilable nitrogen sources.
Subject(s)
Alanine Transaminase/metabolism , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Aspartate Aminotransferases/metabolism , Streptomyces/enzymology , Alanine/metabolism , Amino Acids/metabolism , Ammonium Chloride/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/isolation & purification , Bacillus subtilis/drug effects , Culture Media , Fermentation , Glycine/metabolism , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Streptomyces/chemistryABSTRACT
The enzymes of the assimilation pathways in cultures of S. hygroscopicus grown in the presence of various nitrogen sources were investigated. No assimilation activity of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) was observed. Activities of alanine dehydrogenase (ADH), GDH, glutamine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT) and glutamate synthetase (GS) were studied. High concentrations of ammonium and alanine induced ADH formation. The levels of GS remained low in media with NH4Cl. Various nitrogen sources had no impact on the activity of GOGAT which suggested the involvement of constitutive synthesis. ADH was likely to play an alternative role. Determination of the quantitative and qualitative composition of the free amino acids confirmed the involvement of the GS-GOGAT pathway in nitrogen assimilation. The concentration of ammonium ions in the media with one amino acid or in the presence of several amino acids lowered the antibiotic activity while in the media with alanine and the other nitrogen compounds it increased the antibiotic activity.
