Stress Responses of Lactic Acid Bacteria, 2011 Food Microbiology and Food Safety Series

Beginning with the basics of lactic acid bacteria and stress response, then working into specific fields of research and current developments, Stress Responses of Lactic Acid Bacteria will serve as an essential guidebook to researchers in the field, industry professionals, and advanced students in the area.

The exploration of stress responses in lactic acid bacteria began in the early 90s and revealed the differences that exist between LAB and the classical model microorganisms. A considerable amount of work has been performed on the main genera / species of LAB regarding the genes implicated and their actual role and regulation, and the mechanisms of stress resistance have also been elucidated. Recent genome and transcriptome analyses complement the proteome and genetic information available today and shed a new light on the perception of and the responses to stress by lactic acid bacteria.

Part I. Introduction.- 1. The importance of understanding the stress physiology of lactic acid bacteria.- Part II. Responses of  lactic acid bacteria towards specific environmental stresses.- 2. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to acid stress.- 3. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to heat stress.- 4. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to osmotic stress.- 5. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to cold stress.- 6. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to oxidative stress.- 7. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to starvation.- 8. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to cell envelope stresses.- 9. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to heavy metal stress.- Part III. Stress responses of lactic acid bacteria in the context of species or genera.- 10. Stress responses of Lactococcus lactis.- 11. Stress responses of lactobacilli.- 12. Stress responses of streptococci.- 13. Stress responses of enterococci.- 14. Stress responses of bifidobacteria.- 15. Stress responses of Oenococcus oeni.- Part IV. Current applications and future aspects.- 16. Engineering robust lactic acid bacteria.- 17. Improving stress tolerance of probiotic cultures: Recent trends and future directions.- 18. Responses of lactic acid bacteria to bacteriocins and other antimicrobials.- 19. Lactic acid bacteria defences against phages.- 20. Storing lactic acid bacteria: current methodologies and physiological implications.- Part V. Conclusion.- 21. Future challenges in lactic acid bacteria stress physiology research. 

Effie Tsakalidou (PhD) is a Professor of Food Biochemistry at the Agricultural University of Athens in Athens, Greece.

Konstantinos Papadimitriou(PhD) is a Research Associate in the Laboratory of Dairy Research at the Agricultural University of Athens in Athens, Greece.