Substrate and metabolite diffusion within model medium for soft cheese in relation to growth of Penicillium camembertii

Penicillium camembertii was cultivated on a jellified peptone-lactate based medium to simulate the composition of Camembert cheese. Diffusional limitations due to substrate consumption were not involved in the linear growth recorded during culture, while nitrogen (peptone) limitation accounted for growth cessation. Examination of gradients confirmed that medium neutralization was the consequence of lactate consumption and ammonium production. The diffusion of the lactate assimilated from the core to the rind and that of the ammonium produced from the rind to the core was described by means of a diffusion/reaction model involving a partial linking of consumption or production to growth. The model matched experimental data throughout growth.

Carbon and nitrogen substrates consumption, ammonia release and proton transfer in relation with growth of Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium camemberti on a solid medium

It is difficult to determine fungal biomass growing on a solid medium directly. Therefore, indirect ways of measuring this growth have to be used instead. For this purpose, the kinetics of growth, of substrate consumption and of release of metabolites must be correlated. This has been carried out for Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium camemberti growing on a gelified lactic acid+peptone medium. Peptone was shown to be preferred by G. candidum as a carbon and energy source, in contrast to the behaviour observed for P. camemberti. At the end of growth, G. candidum released about three times more ammonia than P. camemberti. In both cases, the total number of protons consumed during growth was close to the sum of the number of moles of metabolized lactic acid and formed ammonia. During the main part of growth, constant biomass on substrate yields (peptone, lactic acid) was observed for both microorganisms. Therefore, in pure solid cultures, the biomass concentration of both species could be deduced either from DeltapH or from the reduction of substrates. From the above, an estimate of G. candidum biomass in mixed culture could be derived from the determination of ammonia release.