Ester production by Pseudomonas fragi. II. Factors influencing ester levels in milk cultures.

Cultures of Pseudomonas fragi were grown at 21 C in sterile homogenized milk and reconstituted skim milk media supplemented with ethyl alcohol. Quantitative determinations of ethyl butyrate and ethyl hexanoate by gas-liquid chromatography showed definite increases in the concentrations of the two esters produced in these media in comparison to media not supplemented with ethyl alcohol. Supplementation with butyric acid in addition to ethyl alcohol generally elevated the ethyl butyrate concentration and usually depressed the cell count slightly. Aeration of any of the media during growth tended to reduce the cell population slightly. A relationship between increase in cell number and increase in concentration of esters during the growth of the culture was observed. Media containing high concentrations of ethyl alcohol plus milk fat or low-molecular-weight fatty acids were conducive to the production of a fruity aroma by P. fragi.