title: Enterocin A production by Enterococcus faecium FAIR-E 406 is characterised by a temperature- and pH-dependent switch-off mechanism when growth is limited due to nutrient depletion.
abstract: The biokinetics of cell growth and bacteriocin production of Enterococcus faecium FAIR-E 406 was studied as a function of temperature (20-45 degrees C) and pH (5.5-8.5) using de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe medium. Growth of E. faecium FAIR-E 406 was characterized by three successive growth phases and was modelled with the mechanistic nutrient depletion model. Bacteriocin production showed primary metabolite kinetics but was limited to the early growth phase. The critical biomass for switching off bacteriocin production was dependent on medium pH and incubation temperature, and was inversely correlated with the specific bacteriocin production. Doubling the concentration of the nitrogen source as well as a step-wise pH increase shifted the bacteriocin production towards a higher switch-off cell density.
authors.affiliation: Research Group of Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and Downstream Processing (IMDO), Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van den Berghe
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Winter
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Vuyst
mesh_terms: D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018533:Biomass; D002452:Cell Count; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008954:Models, Biological; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D001430:Bacteriocins; D003470:Culture Media; C107799:enterocin A