STUDIES ON THE SELECTION OF A STRAIN OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA TO GROW AT OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PROBIOTICS

Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria are a probiotic bacterium capable of establishing beneficial effects in humans and animals. The commercially available strain of Lactic acid bacteria does have limitations such as the inability to survive at very low gastric acid pH levels and the loss of viability at elevated temperatures. With a goal of selecting a strain of Lactic acid bacteria that survives both at high temperatures beyond 65°C and at very low pH levels such as 1.5, this research study was conducted employing conventional microbiological techniques. Using IMPA, a Lactic acid bacteria strain-based probiotic, a strain was selected for survival under conditions such as 85°C and in pH 1.5. Through the study it has been established that the selected strain is similar to the starter culture and that there is significant difference in amount of survival at such extreme physiological conditions when compared to the parent Lactic acid bacteria strain.