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Appl Environ Microbiol, June 1998, p. 2147-2151, Vol. 64, No. 6
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Role of Streptococcus thermophilus MR-1C
Capsular Exopolysaccharide in Cheese Moisture Retention
Deborah
Low,1
Jeffrey A.
Ahlgren,2
Diane
Horne,3
Donald J.
McMahon,1
Craig J.
Oberg,3 and
Jeffery R.
Broadbent1,*
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences,
Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-87001;
Biopolymer Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 616042; and
Department of Microbiology, Weber State University, Ogden,
Utah 84408-25063
Received 18 November 1997/Accepted 21 March 1998
Recent work by our group has shown that an exopolysaccharide
(EPS)-producing starter pair, Streptococcus thermophilus
MR-1C and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.
bulgaricus MR-1R, can significantly increase moisture
retention in low-fat mozzarella (D. B. Perry, D. J. McMahon,
and C. J. Oberg, J. Dairy Sci. 80:799-805, 1997). The objectives
of this study were to determine whether MR-1C, MR-1R, or both of these
strains are required for enhanced moisture retention and to establish
the role of EPS in this phenomenon. Analysis of low-fat mozzarella made
with different combinations of MR-1C, MR-1R, and the non-EPS-producing
starter culture strains S. thermophilus TA061 and
Lactobacillus helveticus LH100 showed that S. thermophilus MR-1C was responsible for the increased cheese moisture level. To investigate the role of the S. thermophilus MR-1C EPS in cheese moisture retention, the
epsE gene in this bacterium was inactivated by gene
replacement. Low-fat mozzarella made with L. helveticus
LH100 plus the non-EPS-producing mutant S. thermophilus
DM10 had a significantly lower moisture content than did cheese made
with strains LH100 and MR-1C, which confirmed that the MR-1C capsular
EPS was responsible for the water-binding properties of this bacterium
in cheese. Chemical analysis of the S. thermophilus MR-1C
EPS indicated that the polymer has a novel basic repeating unit
composed of D-galactose, L-rhamnose, and L-fucose in a ratio of 5:2:1.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Nutrition and Food Sciences, Utah State University College of
Agriculture, Logan, UT 84322-8700. Phone: (435) 797-2113. Fax: (435)
797-2379. E-mail: Broadbnt{at}cc.usu.edu.

Journal paper 6079 of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station,
Utah State University.
Appl Environ Microbiol, June 1998, p. 2147-2151, Vol. 64, No. 6
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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