Hot topic: Geographical distribution and strain diversity of Lactobacillus wasatchensis isolated from cheese with unwanted gas formation

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Culumber M., McMahon D. J., Ortakci F., Montierth L., Villalba B., Broadbent J. R., ...More

JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE, vol.100, no.11, pp.8764-8767, 2017 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 100 Issue: 11
  • Publication Date: 2017
  • Doi Number: 10.3168/jds.2017-13375
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.8764-8767
  • Keywords: gas defect, Lactobacillus wasatchensis, nonstarter lactic acid bacteria, LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA, CHEDDAR CHEESE, NONSTARTER LACTOBACILLI, NSLAB, GALACTOSE, ADJUNCTS, GROWTH, RIBOSE
  • Abdullah Gül University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Lactobacillus wasatchensis, an obligate heterofermentative nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) implicated in causing gas defects in aged cheeses, was originally isolated from an aged Cheddar produced in Logan, Utah. To determine the geographical distribution of this organism, we isolated slow-growing NSLAB from cheeses collected in different regions of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Seven of the cheeses showed significant gas defects and 12 did not. Nonstarter lactic acid bacteria were isolated from these cheeses on de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium supplemented with ribose, a preferred substrate for Lb. wasatchensis. Identification was confirmed with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the API5OCH (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) carbohydrate panel. Isolates were also compared with one another by using repetitive element sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR). Lactobacillus wasatchensis was isolated only from cheeses demonstrating late-gas development and was found in samples from 6 of the 7 cheeses. This supports laboratory evidence that this organism is a causative agent of late gas production defects. The rep-PCR analysis produced distinct genetic fingerprints for isolates from each cheese, indicating that Lb. wasatchensis is found in several regions across the United States and is not a local phenomenon.