Evaluation of chromatographic methods for the detection of bacterial contamination in biotechnical processes

Abstract Chromatographic methods were evaluated concerning their effectiveness in the detection of bacterial contaminations of cultures of Leuconostoc mesenteroides , a Gram-positive bacterium used for industrial production of dextran. Three classes of cellular components were studied: fatty acids, amino acids and carbohydrates. Proportions of Staphylococcus and Bacillus as small as 0.25% (w/w), and 0.5% Streptococcus , could be detected in L. mesenteroides cell suspensions by determination of fatty acid chemical markers. In addition, the effect of bacterial contamination on chromatographic profiles was studied by comparing the profiles of non-contaminated L. mesenteroides with those of L. mesenteroides contaminated with a strain of Enterobacter cloacae isolated at a dextran-producing industry. The noted differences in the profiles were evaluated using a multivariate classification program (SIMCA). The results indicate that sensitive chromatographic methods for the determination of cellular components may be versatile tools for the early detection of bacterial contamination in biotechnical processes.