• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.559-565
• /
• 2021

This study aimed to optimize gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production by employing five strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that were capable of high cell growth and GABA production using a modified synthetic medium. GABA production in the strains was qualitatively confirmed via detection of colored spots using thin layer chromatography. Lactobacillus plantarum SGL058 and Lactococcus lactis SGL027 were selected as the suitable strains for GABA production. The conditions of the carbon and nitrogen sources were determined as 5 g/l glucose (L. plantarum SGL058), 5 g/l lactose (L. lactis SGL027), 10 g/l yeast extract (L. plantarum SGL058), and 20 g/l yeast extract (L. lactis SGL027) for GABA production. The cell growth, monitored by optical density at 600 nm, was 5.93 for L. plantarum SGL058. This value was higher than the 3.04 produced by L. lactis SGL027 at 36 h using a 5-L fermenter. The highest concentration of GABA produced was 546.7 ㎍/ml by L. plantarum SGL058 and 404.6 ㎍/ml by L. lactis SGL027, representing a GABA conversion efficiency of (%, w/w) of 4.0% and 3.4%, respectively. The fermentation profiles of L. plantarum SGL058 and L. lactis SGL027 provide a basis for the utilization of LAB in GABA production using a basal synthetic medium.