Lactic Acid Fermentation Bacteria: Under the Scope

The little guys chowing down on my cabbage to make sauerkraut
The little guys chowing down on my cabbage to make sauerkraut. I made this GIF from microscope images of my fermentation.

Well, I got a chance to peek at the bacteria in my sauerkraut and sauerprouts jars! Just as I had expected, the kraut juice had a MUCH higher cell density than the sprouts. The sprout juice was like a desolate wasteland. I guess that’s the problem with putting whole sprouts in without chopping them… not enough sugars from the vegetables escape into the juice to feed the microbes. Looks like it might mostly be Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in there.

 

Author: Steen

Steen is a nerdy biologist who spends a lot of time trying to cultivate Chloroflexi, who also likes to draw comics, play video games, and climb.

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