Harnessing the metabolic potential of Streptococcus thermophilus for new biotechnological applications.

Streptococcus thermophilus is a microorganism extensively used in cheese and yogurt fermentation. Its economic value, combined with an increasing demand for novel starter cultures with improved functionality, foster numerous research efforts to unravel key aspects of S. thermophilus physiology. Several phenotypic traits are linked to industrial applications. These include sugar metabolism, proteolysis and the production of important metabolites such as acetaldehyde, exopolysaccharides, and vitamins, which affect the organoleptic properties of fermented foods and protocooperation with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The advent of new molecular tools including a genome editing toolbox facilitates engineering S. thermophilus for physiological studies as well as generating strains with improved technological and/or functional characteristics.