VITAMIN REQUIREMENTS OF CERTAIN PEDIOCOCCI ISOLATED FROM BREWERY PRODUCTS

Abstract

A medium has been developed for determination of the vitamin requirements of a number of pedicocci, most of which were isolated from brewery products and classified as Pediococcus damnosus. Tween 80 was essential to a number of the P. damnosus strains in the medium used. Folic acid was active only on a test strain, P. cerevisiae NCTC 8066. Biotin had a strong growth-promoting effect on most of the strains. Pantothenic acid was essential or highly stimulating to the growth of all strains. Riboflavin is considered essential to the P. damnosus strains, but was inactive with the two test strains used, P. cerevisiae NCTC 8066 and P. acidilactici NCIB 6990. Pyridoxin had a growth-promoting effect on most of the strains, and was essential to one P. damnosus strain. Ascorbic acid was inactive on the P. cerevisiae and P. acidilactici strains, had a slight growth-promoting effect on one P. damnosus strain, but inhibited, partly or completely, the growth of the other strains. Ascorbic acid was therefore omitted from the vitamin medium. p-Aminobenzoic acid, vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin), thiamine, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, retinol acetate and c. 0·5% v/v alcohol were inactive on all the pediococcus strains studied.