Diacetyl formation by lactic bacteria

Some of the most widely used products in the food industry are flavour compounds. These products can be obtained either by chemical synthesis and therefore are called synthetic or by fermentation thus called natural flavors. There is a tendency towards the use of natural products by the consumer, therefore there is an increasing industrial interest in them. One of these products is diacetyl, an important component in the flavor of butter, although others, like acetoin, acetaldehyde and 2,3-butanediol play a role in the flavor, they are present in trace amounts. The mixture of all these compounds produced during the lactic acid fermentation in suitable proportions is what gives butter its characteristic flavor. The most common metabolic route that produces diacetyl is the one starting from pyruvate, in this case it seems that the biosynthesis is related to the presence of citrate in the medium. An alternative route for the production is from acetaldehyde, in this route citrate does not seem to intervene. In the present paper a review of the mechanisms of formation of diacetyl by lactic acid bacteria, as well as the most important factors that influence the biosynthesis of this metabolite is made.