Growth of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BG112 in Batch and Continuous Culture with Camellia sinensis as Prebiotic

This work aimed to study the effect of Camellia sinensis extract (CSExt) as a particular growth promoter of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LP) in batch and continuous production processes. Growth conditions were 1% (v/v) inoculum, pHC = 6.5, 1% of dissolved oxygen (D.O.), 37 °C, and 150 rpm in a 0.2 L bioreactor using a commercial MRS broth (de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe) and 1% (v/v) or 10% (v/v) CSExt according to the experimental design. In batch experiments, the maximum specific growth rate and the affinity constant increased with the increase in CSExt. In continuous culture, biomass production increased significantly with the addition of 1% (w/v) CSExt at 0.15 (1/h). Kinetic parameters adjusted were similar to those reported in the literature. Substrate affinity and the specific growth rate increased significantly in the presence of CSExt in batch and continuous cultures. Based on the results, prebiotics from plant extracts may function as growth promoters in specific physiological stages. This is the first report showing the change in kinetic parameters of a probiotic strain growing in crude plant extracts.