Table 1.

% neutral lipids (NL), the ratio of neutral to polar lipids (NL/PL) and % phosphorus content of each L. monocytogenes total lipid sample extracted from cells grown in optimum conditions (Lm_control) or grown in the presence either of benzoic acid at pH 7.3 (1 g/l) (Lm_BA) or at pH 5.5 [by hydrochloric (Lm_HCl), acetic acid (Lm_AA), or l-lactic acid (Lm_LA)]

	Lmcontrol	LmBA	LmHCl	LmAA	LmLA
NL (% w/w of TL)	36.7 ± 1.2	34.5 ± 0.3a	48.4 ± 2.3b	54.8 ± 0.6b	52.0 ± 1.4b
NL/PL (w/w)	0.58	0.53	0.94	1.21	1.08
Phosphorus (% of TL)	3.39 ± 0.16	2.34 ± 0.39c	2.25 ± 0.22d	1.64 ± 0.44c	1.11 ± 0.01e

Values are mean ± standard deviation of at least three replicates performed on each total lipid sample/cell culture

^aValue statistically (t-test) decreased compared to Lm_control, P < 0.05, for (degrees of freedom) df = 4

^bValues statistically (t-test) increased compared to Lm_control, for P < 0.01, df = 3

^cValues statistically (t-test) decreased compared to Lm_control, for P < 0.01, df = 14

^dValue statistically (t-test) decreased compared to Lm_control, for P < 0.01, df = 10

^eValue statistically (t-test) decreased compared to Lm_control, for P < 0.01, df = 9