title: Enhancing acid tolerance of Leuconostoc mesenteroides with glutathione.
abstract: Leuconostoc mesenteroides is a commercially important lactic acid bacterium currently used as a starter for kimchi and kefir. However, its sensitivity to acid stress limits its performance. L. mesenteroides was grown in a medium supplemented with 3.2 or 6.4 mM glutathione (GSH), and cell survival rates were measured during a long-term mild acid challenge (pH 4.0). As a result, GSH was imported by the cells and protected against acid stress; thereafter it was consumed as a nutrient. Acid stress resistance of starter cultures of this bacterium can thus be improved by cultivating it in media supplemented with GSH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, BK21 Education and Research Center for Advanced Bio-Agriculture Technology, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 361-763, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.forename: Yujin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Jeong Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Nam Soo
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D007934:Leuconostoc / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D003470:Culture Media; D005978:Glutathione