Sauerkraut and sauerkraut juice fermented spontaneously using mineral salt, garlic and algae

The use of mineral salt in natural fermentation of white cabbage into sauerkraut and sauerkraut juice, in order to evaluate whether the amount of NaCl could be lowered, was studied. Mineral salt differs from ordinary salt because NaCl is partially replaced by KCl. In the fermentations mineral salt was used in various amounts (0.8–1.5%) and in combination with garlic and algae. The final NaCl concentrations in these fermentation trials were 0.5–0.9%. Fermentations were also carried out with cabbage sliced to different degrees. The sauerkraut juice fermented by using 0.8% mineral salt (0.5% NaCl) was found to have the best sensory quality. The yield of sauerkraut juice increased as the coarseness of the cabbage mix decreased

An in silico pan-genomic probe for the molecular traits behind Lactobacillus ruminis gut autochthony

As an ecological niche, the mammalian intestine provides the ideal habitat for a variety of bacterial microorganisms. Purportedly, some commensal genera and species offer a beneficial mix of metabolic, protective, and structural processes that help sustain the natural digestive health of the host. Among these sort of gut inhabitants is the Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus ruminis, a strict anaerobe with both pili and flagella on its cell surface, but also known for being autochthonous (indigenous) to the intestinal environment. Given that the molecular basis of gut autochthony for this species is largely unexplored and unknown, we undertook a study at the genome level to pinpoint some of the adaptive traits behind its colonization behavior. In our pan-genomic probe of L. ruminis, the genomes of nine different strains isolated from human, bovine, porcine, and equine host guts were compiled and compared for in silico analysis. For this, we conducted a geno-phenotypic assessment of protein-coding genes, with an emphasis on those products involved with cell-surface morphology and anaerobic fermentation and respiration. We also categorized and examined the core and accessory genes that define the L. ruminis species and its strains. Here, we made an attempt to identify those genes having ecologically relevant phenotypes that might support or bring about intestinal indigenousness.Peer reviewe

Secretory S complex of Bacillus subtilis: sequence analysis and identity to pyruvate dehydrogenase

Peer reviewe

Purification, crystallization, and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of SpaD, a backbone-pilin subunit encoded by the fimbrial spaFED operon in Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Peer reviewe

Purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the SpaA backbone-pilin subunit from probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Peer reviewe

Bent conformation of a backbone pilin N-terminal domain supports a three-stage pilus assembly mechanism

Journal editors’ pick of their favorite papers from the first year of publishing.Peer reviewe

Genome Sequence of the Butyrate-Producing Anaerobic Bacterium Anaerostipes hadrus PEL 85

Peer reviewe

Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus brevis Strain D6, Isolated from Smoked Fresh Cheese

Peer reviewe

Crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of SpaE, a basal pilus protein from the gut-adapted Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

SpaE is the predicted basal pilin subunit in the sortase-dependent SpaFED pilus from the gut-adapted and commensal Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Thus far, structural characterization of the cell-wall-anchoring basal pilins has remained difficult and has been limited to only a few examples from pathogenic genera and species. To gain a further structural understanding of the molecular mechanisms that are involved in the anchoring and assembly of sortase-dependent pili in less harmful bacteria, L. rhamnosus GG SpaE for crystallization was produced by recombinant expression in Escherichia coli. Although several attempts to crystallize the SpaE protein were unsuccessful, trigonal crystals that diffracted to a resolution of 3.1 angstrom were eventually produced using PEG 3350 as a precipitant and high protein concentrations. Further optimization with a combination of additives led to the generation of SpaE crystals in an orthorhombic form that diffracted to a higher resolution of 1.5 angstrom. To expedite structure determination by SAD phasing, selenium-substituted (orthorhombic) SpaE crystals were grown and X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.8 angstrom resolution.Peer reviewe