inosine hydrolase, and nucleoside phosphorylase, all of which enable the release of a
ribose moiety from nucleoside (adenosine
and inosine) and its subsequent metabolism
(Chaillou et al. 2005 ). Moreover, the presence of methylglyoxal synthase, a novel
genetic trait in lactic acid bacteria, has been
proposed as a pathway to counteract frequent
glucose starvation and modulate the metabolism of alternative carbon sources (Chaillou
et al. 2005 ).