Bovine Bile Resistance Increases Leuconostoc oenos 44.40 Viability upon Lyophilization

A screening method based on the selection of strains of Leuconostoc oenos 44.40 resistant to bovine bile was developed to obtain strains of the organism more resistant to lyophilization damage. These strains could be used as starter cultures in the malolactic fermentation of wine. The strain resistant to bovine bile was 20% more viable after lyophilization than strains not resistant to bovine bile. This was confirmed in both laboratory-scale production (100 ml) and pilot-scale production (100 liters). Lyophilized cells of strains sensitive and resistant to bovine bile were inoculated into wine, and the malate metabolism by the organism was monitored in the wine. Resistance to bovine bile did not change the malate metabolism characteristic of the organism. A comparison was made of the fatty acid compositions of the two strains. There was a difference in the fatty acid distribution pattern for these two strains. The bovine bile-resistant strain contained more dodecanoic, hexadecanoic, and octadecanoic acid and less tetradecanoic and hexadecanoic acid than did the bovine bile-sensitive strain. Both strains contained high levels of C-19 cyclopropane fatty acid.