1. JGI Leuconostoc mesenteroides ATCC 8293  (JGI site)                                                                December 5, 2007

Leuconostoc mesenteroides stuff...

• Epiphytic bacteria
• wide spread in a natural environment
• used for serveral industrial and food fermentations
• facultative anaerobe that needs complex growth factors and amino acids
• shows up as cocci (singles, pairs, shortie chains)
• if grown in glucose/solid media, turns into a elongated or rod shaped bacteria
• Gram positive
• asporogenous
• non-motile
• generally found on fruits and veggies
• is responsible for veggie/sauerkraut fermentations and also in dairy and bread fermentations
• "Under microaerophilic conditions, a heterolactic fermentaion is carried out."
• Most commonly known for being a pain in the rear for sugar cane farmers because it kills off the cane and/ or sugar beets.
• First noticed from the start of microbiology
• Pasteur concluded that the slime stuff was due to LM cocci (1861).
•  (dextrans and levans from LM) have been used in the biochem and pharmaceutical industries for 50+ years.
• Dextrans are used to make blood plasma extenders, heparin substitutes for anticoaguland therapy, cosmetics, as Sephadex gels/beads to use as indust/lab protein separators.
• LM = very important as a industrial and food fermentator.

                                                                                                       December 6, 2007                                                                                                                       

2. FAO Corporate Document Repository, Title: Fermented Fruits and Vegetables. A Global Perspective... (FAO site )

• associated with sauerkraut/pickle fermentations
• bacteria starts the wanted lactic acid fermentation
• unlike etc. lactic acids, can tolerate large amounts of salt and sugar.
• can grow over a wider range of temps and salt/sugar concentrations vs. etc lactic acide species
• makes carbon dioxide/ acids that lower the pH and inhibi the growth of icky micro-organisms
• the carbon dioxide takes the place of oxygen; thus causing its enviro to be anaerobic and turns it into a good place for subsequent types of lactobacillus to form
• a veggie's color is better preserved without the oxygen
• stabalises any ascorbic acid that's hanging about

3. Wikipedia, "Leuconostoc mesenteroides"   (Wiki site )               December 9, 2007

• genus og a gram-positive bacteria
• in the family of Leuconostocaceae
• resistant to vancomycin
• Diff between it and Staph: catalase neg
• is a heterofermentative
• makes dextran from sucrose
• "slime-forming"
• ferments cabbage (saurkraut)
• Kingdom: Bacteria
• Division: Firmicutes
• Class: Bacilli
• Order: Lactobacillales
• Family: Leuconostocaceae
• Genus: Leuconostoc
• Discovered by: Leuconostoc Van Tieghem
• Year Discovered: 1878 

4. Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, fermentation ( "fermentation" Definition ) December 12, 2007

• " ...(1) : any of various controlled aerobic or anaerobic processes used for the manufacture of certain products (as alcohols, acids, vitamins of the B complex, or antibiotics) by the action usually of yeasts, molds, or bacteria..."