4. Conclusion
Pure cultures and binary co-cultures with L.eu1426 and L.p1121 were investigated for their effects on Chinese sauerkraut fermentation. The change of pH value in the co-culture fermentation combined the characteristics of pH values in two pure cultures.
Firstly, the pH value in the co-culture fermentation decreased at a high speed like that in L.eu1426 fermentation, but then decreased gradually to approximately 3.2. The change of cell counts in the co-culture fermentation was different from that in pure cultures fermentation. L.eu1426 vanished after the 2.5th day of the co-culture fermentation and the final enumerations of L.p1121 were lower in the co-culture fermentation than that in
L.p1121 fermentation. In three fermentations, the utilization of sucrose, glucose and fucose was best in L.eu1426 fermentation, in L.p1121 fermentation and in L.p1121 fermentation, respectively.Obviously, the metabolism of critic acid was stimulated in the coculture fermentation. Three fermentation showed malic acid can be utilized and its utilization was best in L.p1121 fermentation.
Although the final concentration of lactic acid was lower in the coculture fermentation than in L.p1121 fermentation, L.p1121 showed a strong ability of acid-producing in both fermentations.