Biotechnological formation of dairy flavor inducing δ-lactones from vegetable oil

• Published in: Food Chemistry: X 2022-03, Vol.13, p.100220, Article 100220
• Main Authors: Zia, H., Von Ah, U., Meng, Y.H., Schmidt, R., Kerler, J., Fuchsmann, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aroma-active lactones; Fermentation; Flavor generation; Heat stress; Lactic acid bacteria; Vegetable oil
• ISSN: 2590-1575; 2590-1575
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2022.100220

•LAB effective in formation of dairy flavor inducing δ-lactones from grapeseed oil.•Sub-lethal heat stress significantly improved the δ-lactone production by LAB.•Higher lactone yield was observed in early stationary phase.•Pre-fermentation step positively influence lactone generation.•Insight into the development and optimization of a novel fermentation for δ-lactones. Agroscope Culture Collection was screened to identify bacterial strains effective in production of dairy flavor inducing lactones using grapeseed oil as a substrate. Lentilactobacillus parafarraginis FAM-1079, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis FAM-17918, and L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis FAM-22003 showed the most efficient formation of targeted δ-lactones. The application of sublethal heat stress significantly increased target lactone production. The most profound improvement was for L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis where δ-octadecalactone generation was improved by factor of 9. The pre-fermentation step as well as growth phase in which bacteria are harvested did not have a significant impact on lactones yield. The lactone production process from vegetable oil developed in this study offers a new way of developing a natural flavor ingredient for incorporation into plant-based products.