Evaluation of interaction of phenolic compounds present in European cranberrybush juice with lactic acid bacteria

European cranberrybush (ECB) (Viburnum opulus L.) fruit species contain high amount of phenolic compounds (PC). The influence of these compounds on lactic acid bacteria (LAB), present naturally in raw fruits and vegetables microbiota, remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PC in ECB on different LAB. Firstly, the effect of chlorogenic acid (CA), main phenolic compound in ECB, on Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 growth was studied to understand the isolated role of CA present in ECB juice. Also, the growth effect of total ECB phenolics on L. plantarum ATCC 8014 and two other LAB strains, L. plantarum Lp-115 and L. brevis ATCC 8287 were evaluated by addition of different concentration of fresh ECB juice in growth media. The growth kinetic parameters of LAB strains were calculated at different concentrations of CA (2.12-0.71-0.53-0.35-0.1-0.05-0.025 mg/ml) and (100-50-20-10-5 %) of fresh ECB juice added MRS medium in microplates and static batch cultures in tubes. CA showed inhibitory effects at high concentrations (2.12 mg/ml), whereas cell density of L. plantarum 8014 increased at low concentrations (0.71-0.53-0.35-0.01mg/ml). Similar to CA, ECB juice showed inhibitory growth effects at high concentrations (100-50%) to all LAB strains while strains was able to grow in ECB juice at lower concentrations (20-10 and 5%). The PC composition analysis of freshly squeezed ECB juice by HPLC-ECD used in growth experiments showed that catechin (4.16±0.48 mg/ml) was the main compound following CA (3.42±0.04 mg/ml). The addition of 0.35 mg/ml CA and 5 % ECB juice increased the cell density (ΔOD) of the cultures whereas there were no significant change in the µmax, log cfu/ml, dry weight values compared to control cultures in scale up experiments. This study was provided detailed valuable information about the interaction ECB phenolics and Lactobacillus strains in vitro, the growth mechanism and the effect of other PC in ECB juice on LAB is still not clear and needs to be studied in future studies.