RIBOFLAVIN PRODUCING LACTIC ACID BACTERIA AS A BIOTECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGY TO OBTAIN BIO-ENRICHED SOYMILK

JUAREZ DEL VALLE MARIANELA; LAIÑO, JONATHAN EMILIANO; SAVOY DE GIORI, GRACIELA; LEBLANC, JEAN GUY

Simposio; 11th Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria; 2014

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) plays an important role in cellular metabolism participating in numerous oxidation-reduction reactions and energy usage. In this work, lactic acid bacteria that can produce vitamin B2 in soymilk were identified from 179 strains tested that were previously isolated from a wide range of food products. Only 42 strains were able to grow in a commercial riboflavin-free medium after which the concentration of this vitamin was determined by HPLC. Five of these strains were pre-selected for their capacity to produce elevated concentrations of riboflavin. These were then inoculated in soymilk to evaluate their capacity to grow in this food matrix and increase its low riboflavin concentrations. Only L. plantarum CRL 725 was able to significantly increase (700 ± 20ng B2/ml) the initial concentration of riboflavin in soymilk (309 ± 19ng B2/ml) after 12h of incubation at 37ºC. Roseoflavin resistant variants of this strain were obtained and evaluated in soymilk. One of the obtained variants increased 6 times (1860 ± 20ng B2/ml) the initial riboflavin levels of soymilk. Roseoflavin-resistant strains capable of synthesizing riboflavin in soymilk constitute an interesting and economically feasible biotechnology strategy that could be easily adapted by the food industry to develop novel vitamin-bioenriched functional foods with enhanced consumer appeal.