TAHL ZIMMERMAN*¹, RAPHAEL AYIVI^1,2, SALAM A IBRAHIM^1,2
*Corresponding author
1. Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory,
North Carolina A& T State University, Greensboro, USA
2. Green Biotics, Greensboro, USA

Abstract

Standard media for cultivating probiotic strains such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can often be costly, primarily due to the expense of the nitrogen sources in the formulation. Therefore, there has been an increase in research into LAB cultivation media) that originate from plant materials. Here, we summarize some of the research into LAB media, with an emphasis on alternative, plant-based solutions. Even though a large number of media solutions have been developed in order to serve as bulk growth media, these solutions have failed to provide consistent results. The research consequently points to the need for a reliable plant-based LAB growth medium for the dairy industry. We explored the effectiveness of a commercially available plant-based media on the yield and stability of several strains of Lactobacillus using de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) media as the benchmark.

INTRODUCTION
Over the last three decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of probiotic products available to consumers alongside a significant growth in fermented dairy products containing probiotic bacteria (1, 2). The use of standard media such as MRS (as a laboratory medium) and skim milk and whey -based media (as bulk media) for the cultivation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is limited by cost effectiveness, preparation, low cell density, and quality control requirements (4, 5). As a result, there has been widespread research into alternative media, particularly those based on agricultural by products, in order to increase cell densities at lower costs. The objective of this article is to summarize some of the research into LAB media, with an emphasis on alternative plant-based solutions.

History of LAB Media Development
LAB are the most widely used strains in probiotic products6. LAB have the ability to adapt to different environments which helps to explain their widespread use in probiotic supplements and food products. This adaptive flexibility also means that there are potentially ...