title: PCR of crtNM combined with analytical biochemistry: An efficient way to identify carotenoid producing lactic acid bacteria.
abstract: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) synthesize a wide variety of biochemical compounds during food fermentation. Carotenoids provide important biological functions for bacteria, and their consumption by humans has many beneficial effects. In this study, the presence of several genes involved in the production of carotenoids was determined by BLAST analysis and PCR in a collection of 156 LAB isolated from traditional amylaceous African fermented foods. Only the crtE gene and the crtNM operon were present and detected in Lactobacillaceae. Most of the strains with positive PCR detection of the operon crtNM produced carotenoid-like compounds when grown in MRS broth. The carotenoids produced differed from compounds previously identified in other LAB except for one peak, which was closely related to 4,4'-diaponeurosporene already reported in the literature in Lactobacillus plantarum species. Most producing strains belonged to Lactobacillus fermentum and L. plantarum species but a few Pediococcus acidilactici were also producers. Furthermore, the most efficient L. plantarum was able to synthesize carotenoids in a cereal fermented food. Genetic screening was shown to be efficient since, in all cases, it eliminated the need for biochemical analysis of strains in which no amplicons of the operon crtNM were obtained.
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR Nutripass IRD/Université de Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier F-34394, France. Electronic address: williams.turpin@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Williams
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR Nutripass IRD/Université de Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier F-34394, France. Electronic address: Cecile.Renaud@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR Nutripass IRD/Université de Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier F-34394, France. Electronic address: Sylvie.Avallone@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avallone
authors.affiliation: Université CADI Ayyad, Laboratoire du Génie des Bioprocédés, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Gueliz, B.P. 549 AV, Abdelkerim Elkhattabi, Marrakech, Morocco. Electronic address: aayah_h@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Aayah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammoumi
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR Nutripass IRD/Université de Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier F-34394, France. Electronic address: Jean-Pierre.Guyot@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Guyot
authors.affiliation: IRD, UMR Nutripass IRD/Université de Montpellier/Montpellier SupAgro, B.P. 64501, 911 Avenue Agropolis, Montpellier Cedex 5 34394, France. Electronic address: Christele.Humblot@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Christèle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Humblot
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D056546:Lactobacillales / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009876:Operon; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: Carotenoid; Food fermentation; Genetic; Lactobacillus; Pediococcus; Vitamin A