Use of date products in production of the thermophilic dairy starter strain Streptococcus thermophilus

Date-coat sugar extract and date-seed hydrolysate were utilized as the main constituents of a medium for the production of a thermophilic dairy starter strain. Date-coat sugar extract was used as the carbon source, while date-seed hydrolysate was used as the nitrogen source. A suitable concentration of date-coat sugar was in the range of 50 mg sugar/ml. Addition of various amounts of date-seed hydrolysate as the sole nitrogen source in the medium showed that, in spite of a nitrogen insufficiency found in the hydrolysate, the production of the starter strain increased with date-seed hydrolysate (nitrogen) concentration, but the maximum production of biomass was less than that observed with other nitrogen sources. Therefore, various amounts of urea were added and a mixture of urea (6 mg/ml) and of date-seed hydrolysate (4.0 mg/ml) allowed an increase in the concentration of the biomass. The addition of date-seed ash as a mineral source, at a concentration of 1.0 mg/ml in the medium containing date-coat sugar extract, date-seed hydrolysate, and urea could substitute for MgSO4, and MnSO4 of the usual medium. This medium gave the maximum production of the thermophilic lactic acid bacteria (0.57 mg/ml) and lactic acid (2 mg/ml), very close to what was obtained with the Elliker broth medium.