Production of Pantothenic Acid by Microorganisms Isolated from Fermented Corn Meal

Seven strains of microorganisms out of 35 examined produced pantothenic acid. These included 3 strains of Bacillus licheniformis , 3 strains of Enterobacter cloacae and 1 strain of Hansenula subpelliculosa . Microorganisms not producing pantothenic acid included: Streptococcus faecalis , Lactobacillus brevis , Moraxella sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Agrobacterium spp. The non-producers could not use B-alanine or pantoyl lactone or a combination of the two molecules which constitute pantothenic acid. Addition of sucrose (2%) to the nutrient broth reduced pantothenic acid production by about 68%. Control corn meal contained 0.44±0.02 mg pantothenic acid/100 g, whereas fermented corn meal contained 1.84±0.16 mg/100 g after 3 d and 1.48±0.5 mg/100 g after 5 d of fermentation.