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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 6531-6537, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.6531-6537.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei 8700:2 Degrades Inulin-Type Fructans Exhibiting Different Degrees of Polymerization

Lefteris Makras, Gerald Van Acker, and Luc De Vuyst*

Research Group of Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and Downstream Processing, Department of Applied Biological Sciences and Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

Received 9 March 2005/ Accepted 16 June 2005

Ten strains of lactobacilli were assessed for their capacity to degrade inulin-type fructans, which are well-known prebiotics. Both oligofructose and inulin were tested. The dairy isolate Lactobacillus acidophilus IBB 801 degraded only oligofructose. The human isolate Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei 8700:2 degraded oligofructose and long-chain inulin and grew rapidly on both energy sources. In both cases, fractions of different degrees of polymerization were fermented. Moreover, large and short fractions of oligofructose were degraded simultaneously. When L. paracasei subsp. paracasei 8700:2 grew on oligofructose-enriched inulin, oligofructose was preferentially metabolized. In all cases, lactic acid was the main metabolic end product. Significant amounts of acetic acid, formic acid, and ethanol were produced when long-chain inulin or oligofructose-enriched inulin was used as the sole energy source.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Group of Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology and Downstream Processing (IMDO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. Phone: 32 2 6293245. Fax: 32 2 6292720. E-mail: ldvuyst{at}vub.ac.be.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2005, p. 6531-6537, Vol. 71, No. 11
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.6531-6537.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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