Quantifying the Significance of Phage Attack on Starter Cultures: a Mechanistic Model for Population Dynamics of Phage and Their Hosts Isolated from Fermenting Sauerkraut

We investigated the possibility of using starter cultures in sauerkraut fermentation and thereby reducing the quantity of salt used in the process. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of waste salt that would enter in our water resources. Phage, naturally present in sauerkraut fermentation, could potentially affect the starter cultures introduced. Thus, a mechanistic mathematical model was developed to quantify the growth kinetics of the phage and starter cultures. The model was validated by independent experiments with two Leuconostoc mesenteroides strains isolated from sauerkraut and their corresponding phage. Model simulations and experimental evidence showed the presence of phage-resistant cell populations in starter cultures which replaced phage-sensitive cells, even when the initial phage density (P₀) and multiplicity of infection (MOI) were low (P₀ < 1 × 10³ PFU/ml; MOI < 10⁻⁴) in the MRS media. Based on the results of model simulation and parameter optimization, it was suggested that the kinetic parameters of phage-host interaction, especially the adsorption rate, vary with the initial phage and host densities and with time. The model was validated in MRS broth. Therefore, the effects of heterogeneity and other environmental factors, such as temperature and pH, should be considered to make the model applicable to commercial fermentations.