The aim of the present work was to evaluate the metabolism type of 17 Lactobacillus strains isolated from industrial ethanol fermentation plants. The strains were grown at 32°C for 24 hours on a mixture of equal amounts of glucose and fructose as the carbon source, and supplemented with yeast extract, mineral nutrients and buffer. Bacterial growth was estimated by absorbance at 600nm and the main end products of bacterial metabolism (lactate, acetate and ethanol) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography, while the stereoisomers, D(-)- and L(+)-lactate, were assayed by an enzymatic methodology using stereospecific lactate-dehydrogenases. According to the results, all the three types of metabolism were found among the bacteria investigated: obligately homofermentative (8 strains), facultative heterofermentative (1 strain) and obligately heterofermentative (8 strains). The results have showed a predominance of DL strains regarding the stereoisomers production, but it was also found strains producing a single type of the isomeric form. These findings suggest the possibility to explore the lactobacilli biodiversity in fuel ethanol fermentation plants for lactate production of chemically pure optical isomers. This is the first report on lactic acid isomers formation by Lactobacillus strains isolated from sugar cane based-industrial fermentations.
Lactobacillus; Homo- and Heterolactic fermentation; (-)-D and (+)-L Lactate; Acetate; Ethanol
