Fats and fatty acids as growth factors for Lactobacillus delbrueckii

The effects of various fats and fatty acids on the growth of Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains have been studied using modified MRS broth without Tween 80 as a basic growth medium. Among the six L. delbrueckii strains studied all except one strain required Tween 80 or Tween 20 as a fatty acid supplement for the growth. Tween 40 and Tween 60, which contain solely medium and long chain saturated fatty acids, inhibited the growth of all L. delbrueckii strains when present as a sole fat supplement in MRS broth. Free oleic acid but not free lauric acid could substitute Tween 80 or Tween 20 supplement suggesting that unsaturated fatty acids are essential growth factors for most L. delbrueckii strains. Among the natural food oils tested, the oils containing the lowest amounts of saturated long chain fatty acids promoted the growth of L. delbrueckii most effectively. Especially cellular C18:1 and C19 cyclopropane fatty acid contents of L. delbrueckii were strongly affected by exogenous fatty acid composition and by strain suggesting genetic diversity and polymorphism among the genes encoding and/or regulating cyclopropane synthase. In addition obviously most if not all L. delbrueckii strains lack particular synthase, desaturase and/or dehydrase activities required for de novo synthesis of long chain unsaturated fatty acids. These biochemical features could be used as informative chemotaxonomic characteristics for L. delbrueckii starter strain identification and selection.