ABSTRACT

Lactic acid bacteria are a group whose main characteristic is the fermentation of carbohydrates with the production of lactic acid. Originally, this group included four genera of great importance in the production of foods: Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Streptococcus. Over time, these genera were subdivided into the new genera Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Fructobacillus, Lactococcus, Oenococcus, Tetragenococcus and Weissella (Euzéby, 2012), the main characteristics of which are summarized in Table 14.1.