The effect of bacteriophages on the acidification of a vegetable juice medium by microencapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum.

Starter cultures are increasingly being used for the production of sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented vegetables. The goal of this study was to determine whether the microencapsulation of a bacterial culture can prevent phage infection during vegetable fermentation. Lactobacillus plantarum HER1325 was microencapsulated in alginate beads.