Reuterin Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria

Abstract

Reuterin or 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA) is a neutral, water soluble, non-protein and low molecular weight aldehyde which exhibit broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. Lactobacillus reuteri strains generally produce reuterin during anaerobic fermentation of glycerol. However, many researches have been reported that other strains of Lactobacillus species such as L. coryniformis, L. fermentum, L. plantarum and L. collinoides acted as reuterin producers. The ability of these Lactobacillus strains to produce reuterin depended on the presence of glycerol dehydratase encoding gene (gld gene) which regulated the expression of glycerol dehydratase activity. Due to its broad spectrum antimicrobial activity, the application of reuterin in the food industry has become a major interest.