Microbial enrichment of blackcurrant press residue with conjugated linoleic and linolenic acids.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the isomerization of linoleic (LA) and linolenic acids (LNAs) into their conjugated isomers by Propionibacterium freudenreichii DSM 20270 and utilize this feature for microbial enrichment of blackcurrant press residue (BCPR) with health-beneficial conjugated fatty acids. METHODS AND RESULTS: First, the ability of P. freudenreichii to isomerize 0·4 mg ml-1 of LA and LNA was studied in lactate growth medium. Free LA and α-LNA were efficiently converted into conjugated linoleic (CLA) and α-linolenic acid (α-CLNA), being the predominant isomers c9,t11-CLA and c9,t11,c15-CLNA, respectively. The bioconversion of α-LNA by P. freudenreichii was more efficient in terms of formation rate, yield and isomer-specificity. Thereafter, free LA and LNAs obtained from hydrolysed BCPR neutral lipids, by lipolytically active oat flour, were subjected to microbial isomerization in BCPR slurries. In 10% (w/v) slurries, a simultaneous enrichment in c9,t11-CLA and c9,t11,c15-CLNA of up to 0·51 and 0·29 mg ml-1 was observed from starting levels of 0·96 mg LA ml-1 and 0·37 mg α-LNA ml-1 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that growing cultures of P. freudenreichii DSM 20270 are able to simultaneously enrich BCPR with health-beneficial conjugated isomers of LA and α-LNA. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study demonstrates that microbial isomerization technique can be utilized to enrich lipid-containing plant materials with bioactive compounds and thereby enable valorization of low value plant-based side streams from food industry into value-added food ingredients.

Cell-adhered conjugated linoleic acid regulates isomerization of linoleic acid by resting cells of Propionibacterium freudenreichii.

The microbiological isomerization of linoleic acid (LA) to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was studied in resting cell suspensions of a propionibacterium and micellar LA to identify factors critical in the isomerization efficiency. These suspensions, containing cells 5x10(10) colony-forming units ml(-1) and 510 micro g LA ml(-1), isomerized about 90% of LA to CLA. However, the yield was not improved with higher amounts of micellar LA, suggesting that the cells had a fixed capacity to carry out the isomerization. This was explained by the fact that the CLA formed had a tendency to accumulate in the cell mass rather than in the aqueous micellar phase during the isomerization. Concomitantly, cell viability and isomerization rates were gradually reduced. Upon cessation of the reaction, about 46% of all the CLA formed was in the cell material. This accumulation to the cells was prevented by adding the detergent in excess to that required for micellization of LA. Then the cells remained viable, but the rate of isomerization was drastically lowered, due to impaired availability of LA from the fortified micellar phase to the cells. It was concluded that the phase distribution of substrate and product plays a critical role in the microbiological production of CLA.

Reduction of linoleic acid inhibition in production of conjugated linoleic acid by Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii.

A method for the production of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) from linoleic acid (LA) using growing cultures of Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS was developed. The growth inhibitory effect of LA was eliminated by dispersing it in a sufficient concentration of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate detergent. For the whey permeate medium used, the optimum LA:detergent ratio was 1:15 (w/w). As a result, the cultures tolerated at least 1000 microg x mL(-1) LA, which was converted to CLA with 57%-87% efficiency. The cis-9, trans-11 and trans-9, cis-11 isomers constituted 85%-90% of the CLA produced. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated also in de Man Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) broth.