Lactobacillus makes food durable

For many people, lactic acid bacteria are found on the table every day - in yoghurt or salami, for example. The tiny creatures not only make food more durable and better digestible, but also support the digestive system and the immune system. The Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) has named Lactobacillus microbe of the year 2018 to highlight its important role in health, nutrition and economics.

Lactobacilli ("milk sticks") have been with humans for a long time. About 7.000 years ago settled cattle breeders in Northern Europe began to eat more milk and their products, explains the VAAM. This has meant that not only infants, but adults in our latitudes have also formed the enzyme for the degradation of milk sugar (lactase). In Asia, this was not the case, so that for the majority of adult Asians dairy products are still poorly tolerated.

Lactobacillus is involved in a variety of food processes. So the microbe makes sour milk without it spoiling - in the form of yogurt, kefir or cheese. Even the production of sourdough bread, sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers would not be possible without the bacteria. The existing carbohydrates are converted into lactic acid. In an acidic environment, harmful bacteria such as Salmonella can not multiply and food is preserved. In biotechnology, Lactobacilli is used to produce lactic acid, which is used as a food additive (E 270) in, among other things, baked goods and sweets.

Lactobacilli also perform important tasks in the body. The bacteria are transmitted in the birth canal from the mother to the newborn to protect it from pathogens. In the human intestine, the bacteria promote healthy digestion and strengthen the immune system. For example, they make fiber available from whole grains with the help of certain enzymes and support the function of the intestinal mucosa.

Heike Kreutz, www.bzfe.de