Lactobacillus plantarum

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Orla-Jensen 1919) Zheng et al. 2020, basonym Streptobacterium plantarum, is the species the trade still calls Lactobacillus plantarum. Its type strain is ATCC 14917 = DSM 20174 = JCM 1149 = LMG 6907 = NCIMB 11974 = NRRL B-4496. Cells are Gram-positive, non-sporing rods with rounded ends, 0.9-1.2 x 3-8 um, occurring singly, in pairs or in short chains. It is facultatively heterofermentative, ferments both hexoses and pentoses, grows at 15 C but not at 45 C with an optimum near 30-35 C, and is catalase-negative although some strains show a manganese-dependent pseudocatalase activity. Its genome, at roughly 3.3 Mb, is among the largest of the lactic acid bacteria and encodes an unusually broad sugar-utilisation repertoire together with the plantaricin bacteriocin clusters that give the species its name in fermentation science. That metabolic breadth is the practical reason formulators pick plantarum over the dairy-adapted lactobacilli. The species is native to plant material - sauerkraut, kimchi, olive and pickle brines, sourdough and silage - so it propagates well on plant-peptone media and is the easiest of the common probiotic species to supply as a genuinely vegan, dairy-free, soy-free article. It is also robust in low pH and in bile, which suits it to acidic drink bases, fruit powders and non-dairy shots where a dairy-origin culture would lose count. The species is on the EFSA qualified presumption of safety list, and the reference strain 299v (DSM 9843) - proprietary and licensed to its owner, and the subject of US FDA GRAS notice GRN 685 - is the most heavily documented example. Thovek supplies a freeze-dried culture concentrate on maltodextrin, blended to 100, 150, 200 or 300 billion CFU/g with overage so the count on the buyer's label survives to expiry. Counts are made by MRS pour plate under anaerobic conditions at 37 C for 72 h, with ISO 15214 mesophilic lactic acid bacteria counting at 30 C or ISO 19344 | IDF 232 flow cytometry where the buyer's method requires it. Branded strain designations such as 299v are not supplied as generic material; Thovek offers documented non-proprietary strains with culture-collection deposit records and states the designation on every certificate, which FSSAI requires for probiotic labelling in India along with non-GMO status and a minimum of 10^8 CFU in the recommended daily serving.