Abstract
Nineteen Propionibacterium strains were screened for extracellular polymer (ECP) production. The best producer, P. jensenii S1, was introduced into two different media, Yeast Extract Lactate (YEL)-medium and Apricot Effluent (AE)-medium. The YEL medium samples were incubated in different mixing systems (a roller-table and a linear shaking platform) for 24 days at 35 °C. According to the volatile fatty acids and pH profiles, no real differences could be detected between the two mixing systems. Bacterial aggregates were, however, only observed in the roller-table samples. The process was repeated with AE-medium on the roller-table. Larger and more stable flocs were observed in the AE-medium samples. Scanning electron microscopy and PCR analysis confirmed the presence of propionibacteria in these flocs even after 5 months of storage at 4 °C. It was concluded that ECP-producing Propionibacterium strains could be manipulated to form bacterial flocs under certain environmental conditions, which might be enhanced in the presence of fibrous material occurring naturally in food industry effluents.
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van Schalkwyk, C., Joubert, H. & Britz, T. Extracellular polymer production and potential for aggregate formation by classical propionibacteria. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 19, 285–289 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023606308920
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023606308920