Response surface optimization of the cultivation conditions and medium components for maximal reuterin production by L. reuteri BPL-36

A reuterin (3-hydroxy propinaldehyde, 3-HPA) producing strain from a human infant fecal sample was previously isolated and identified in Microbial Metabolite laboratory of Dairy Microbiology Division, National Dairy research Institute as Lactobacillus reuteri BPL-36 strain. The organism is known for its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and was selected for this present study. An initial attempt in context to optimization study of reuterin production was done for the evaluation of the effect of different growth and environmental factors on reuterin production by L. reuteri BPL-36 using linear model. The production of reuterin from BPL-36 strain was optimized in water-glycerol medium using Response surface Methodology considering pH, temperature, incubation time and glycerol content as independent variables. Optimum level of pH (6.0), incubation temperature (37oC), incubation time (2.5h) and Glycerol content (267 mM) were used for maximum reuterin production (58.69mM) in water-glycerol medium. Since this strain showed higher reuterin production to different levels under the optimized conditions compared to their initial values, this justifies the fact that reuterin production is a strain specific attribute of L. reuteri.