Kinetic Study of the Combined Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Temperature on the Activity of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp bulgaricus Aminopeptidases

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (100 to 700 MPa) combined with temperature (20 to 40 degrees C) on the activity of 5 aminopeptidases (PepN, PepX, PepY, PepC, and PepA) of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ACA-DC 0105, used as starter culture for feta cheese production, was studied. Aminopeptidases PepN, PepX, and PepA were activated at pressures up to 200 MPa, at temperatures up to 40 degrees C. PepY and PepC appeared to be more sensitive to pressure and temperature treatment leading to inactivation for pressures above 100 and 200 MPa, respectively, combined with temperature above 30 degrees C. A multi-parameter equation was used for predicting the activation of PepN, PepX, and PepA aminopeptidases in the pressure and temperature domain. Overall, processing at 200 MPa and 20 degrees C may be selected as the optimum conditions for maximum activation of 4 out of 5 aminopeptidases of L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus. A 20-min treatment at these conditions leads to an average 3-fold increase in activity, which could lead to better and faster maturation of white cheese.