Growth and Freeze-Drying Optimization of Bifidobacterium crudilactis

peer reviewedBifidobacterium crudilactis FR62/b/3 belongs to a new population of bifidobacteria isolated from raw milk and raw milk cheese. The objective of this work was to study the large scale culture of the stain and its stability in a dry formulation. Growth rate of Bifidobacterium crudilactis FR62/b/3 was optimal at a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 37˚C. At a temperature growth of 33˚C and a pH of 5.0, the stationary phase was reached after 22 h, the viable cell number and the mean dry biomass concentration were respectively of 8.3 × 109 CFU/mL and of 2.1 g/L. Resistance of Bifidobacterium crudilactis FR62/b/3 to freeze-drying and effect of a variety of cryoprotectants to maintain the viability were also evaluated. Sorbitol was the most suitable cryoprotectant for freeze-drying as well as storage whereas sucrose and monosodium glutamate were only efficient during storage