The study of biotechnological potential of <i>Lactobacillus sakei</i> LSK-103
Lactic acid bacteria play an important role in the production of food. Bacterial cultures widely used in the food industry often have a set of characteristics that ensure the stability of the production. The biotechnological properties of Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 have been studied in the present work. Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 has shown high biochemical activity on MRS medium. It has been found that after 16 h of cultivation at the end of the exponential growth phase, the number of viable bacterial cells reaches 10<sup>9</sup> CFU/cm<sup>3</sup>. The study of the effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride on biomass accumulation has shown that Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 is highly resistant to salt. Increase in NaCl concentration from 2 to 10 % leads to decrease in cell survival from 96.8 to 91.2 %, and in number of bacteria to 10<sup>8</sup> CFU/cm<sup>3</sup>. Morphological studies indicate that an increase in the concentration of sodium chloride in the medium is accompanied by cell cohesion, the formation of cell conglomerates. Cohesion intensifies intercellular contacts and increases the resistance of Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 to osmotic stress. The high survival rate of Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 has been shown in the presence of bile, phenol (0.4 %), high (pH 8.3) and low (pH 3.5) values of active acidity of the medium indicating its probiotic properties. The results of research have shown that the Lactobacillus sakei LSK-103 has high biotechnological potential and can be used as part of bacterial preparations for the production of fermented fish products.