Lactobacillus acidophilus

Lactobacillus acidophilus
	Lactobacillus acidophilus
Systematics
Class :	Bacilli
Order :	Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillales)
Family :	Lactobacillaceae
Genre :	Lactobacillus
Type :	Lactobacillus acidophilus
Scientific name
	Lactobacillus acidophilus
	( Moro 1900) ; Hansen & Mocquot 1970

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a rod-shaped type of bacteria that is used in the manufacture of various sour milk products.

features

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a medium-length, facultatively anaerobic , gram-positive rod with rounded ends that occurs singly, in pairs, or in short chains. It also grows in an acidic environment ( pH 4-5 and lower) and at temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius. The bacteria are killed by heat and solar radiation. The bacterium is catalase negative and oxidase negative .

L. acidophilus is found in a variety of foods such as milk, grains, meat, and fish. In humans , L. acidophilus colonizes the mouth, the digestive tract and the vagina and in men the uncornified squamous epithelium of the navicular fossa, the enlarged area just before the urethral opening .

In general, the bacterium homofermentatively ferments lactose to lactic acid . Some heterofermentative strains can produce ethanol , carbon dioxide, and acetic acid .

In 2002 the complete genome of L. acidophilus was recorded and presented at the Seventh Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria in Egmond aan Zee , the Netherlands.

Significance for human health

The beneficial effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus on human health are often suggested by the food industry. In fact, there are no studies that can clearly demonstrate this. The fact is that lowering the pH creates an environment under which most germs (e.g. Escherichia coli ) are not viable (see the section on the vaginal environment ). However, E. coli is an important part of the intestinal flora. An effect as advertised by yoghurt manufacturers would therefore have rather negative effects on the intestinal flora, if this were actually to occur to a significant extent.

Lactobacillus acidophilus in foods

Lactobacillus acidophilus is used for the production of mild yoghurt ("bioghurt") and acidophilus milk, a milk drink with a high proportion of lactic acid. The bacterium is also used in the production of sauerkraut , soy yoghurt and kimchi , a traditional Korean dish.

Web links

Commons : Lactobacillus acidophilus - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Bacteria Reduce Serum Cholesterol
Deconjugation of bile acids by intestinal lactobacilli, PMC 170567 (free full text)
Friendly Bacteria - Lactobacillus acidophilus & Bifido bacterium (PDF; 105 kB)
Lactobacillus acidophilus, University of Nebraska, DW Brooks site
Lactobacillus Genome Project ( Memento from February 11, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
Studies on L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus, University of Kentucky, PMC 533357 (free full text)
Microbes perk up tired athletes