Gluconate metabolism and gas production by Paucilactobacillus wasatchensis WDC04.

Paucilactobacillus wasatchensis, a nonstarter lactic acid bacteria, can cause late gas production and splits and cracks in aging cheese when it metabolizes 6-carbon substrates, particularly galactose, to a 5-carbon sugar, resulting in the release of CO. Previous studies have not explained late gas production in aging cheese when no galactose is present. Based on the genome sequence of Pa.