Lactobacillus kimchiensis sp. nov., isolated from a fermented food

Abstract

A novel bacterium was isolated from a traditional fermented food, kimchi. The morphology, physiology, biochemical properties and 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain L133T were studied. Strain L133T was Gram-reaction-positive, catalase-negative and homofermentative, with rod-shaped cells that formed cream colonies. Cells grew in the presence of 0–5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1–2 %), at pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–8.0) and at 15–37 °C (optimum, 25 °C). Comparative 16S rRNA gene and pheS sequence analysis of strain L133T indicated that the strain belonged to the genus Lactobacillus . The major fatty acids were identified as C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 0 and C18 : 0, and the cell wall contained peptidoglycan of the l-Lys–d-Asp type. DNA–DNA relatedness values between strain L133T and related species were below 11±0.4 %. The DNA G+C content of strain L133T was 35.7 mol%. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences, as well as physiological and biochemical tests, identified genotypic and phenotypic differences between strain L133T and other species of the genus Lactobacillus . Based on these analyses, strain L133T is proposed to be a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus , named Lactobacillus kimchiensis. The type strain is L133T ( = KACC 15533T = JCM 17702T = DSM 24716T).