USING SCREENING AND CLASSICAL STRAIN IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES TO GET THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA

摘要

The Gram positive lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce lactic acid as their main degradation product from sugar fermentation. LAB have been used in bio processed food for thousands of years. Chr Hansen is the largest starter culture producer and the lactic acid bacteria are used in dairy products like cheese, yoghurt, kefir but also in fermented meats like salami sausages, in wine production, and in silage production. The different uses of LABs requires constant search for improved functionalities and scouting for new areas of use. This requires development of better and faster screening technologies to define the next generation of strains and a continued development of classical strain improvement techniques to get even better strains. Examples will be given on how we use cutting edge technology to find Streptococcus thermophilus strains with better texturing capabilities to be used for e.g. yoghurt and how we can further improve these traits by natural non GMO techniques.