Role ofβ-oxidation in inhibitingLactobacillus leichmanii by fatty acids

The effect of saturated fatty acids from 6∶0 to 16∶0 and oleic acid onLactobacillus leichmanii ATCC 4797 growing in non-skim-milk media was determined. The inhibition by lauric acid was higher than that obtained with any other fatty acid. A mutant (MC12) resistant to the fatty acid inhibition with high β-oxidation activity was also studied. A positive correlation between the ability ofL. leichmanii ATCC 4797 and its derivative MC12 to degrade fatty acids and their resistance to the fatty acid inhibition is shown in this report.