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. 1981 Jan;41(1):1–8. doi: 10.1128/aem.41.1.1-8.1981

Effects of pH and Sugar on Acetoin Production from Citrate by Leuconostoc lactis

Timothy M Cogan 1, Mary O'Dowd 1, Dervla Mellerick 1,†
PMCID: PMC243632  PMID: 16345676

Abstract

The relationship between acetoin production and citrate utilization in Leuconostoc lactis NCW1 was studied. In a complex medium the organism utilized citrate at neutral pH (initial pH, 6.3) and at acid pH (initial pH, 4.5) but produced nine times more acetoin at the latter pH. In resting cells the utilization of citrate was optimum at pH 5.3. Production of acetoin as a function of citrate utilization increased as the pH decreased, and at pH 4.3 all of the citrate utilized was recovered as acetoin. Glucose (10 mM) and lactose (10 mM) markedly stimulated citrate utilization but totally inhibited acetoin production in glucose- and lactose-grown cells. Addition of glucose to cells actively metabolizing citrate caused an immediate increase in citrate uptake and a reduction in the level of acetoin. The apparent Km values of lactic dehydrogenase for pyruvate were 1.05, 0.25, and 0.15 mM at pH 7.5, 6.5, and 5.0, respectively. Several heterofermentation intermediates inhibited α-acetolactate synthetase and decarboxylase activities. The implications of these results in regulating acetoin formatin are discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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