Lactic acid bacteria used to produce natural flavour compounds from whey and castor oil

Whey and castor oil are economic raw materials and can be used as nutrients to produce molecules of interest by fermentation with lactic acid bacteria. In this study, aromatic compounds produced by the bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum A6 and Lactococcus lactis cremoris were investigated in the fermentation of whey with two concentrations of castor oil (3 % and 6 %), using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The results showed the production of aromatic compounds, mainly: Hydroxyacetone, Acetic acid, Formic acid, γ-Butyrolactone, 2(5H)-furanone, Furaneol, Furfural, Furfuryl alcohol, Dihydroxyacetone and Pentanal. Both microorganisms managed to metabolize the fatty acids from castor oil; however, the concentration of castor oil did not have a significant effect on the production of flavours (p > 0.05). On the other hand, significant differences were found according to the type of microorganism (p < 0.05), obtaining a different aromatic profile for each lactic acid bacteria. Finally, the flavour profile was described as pungent, sharp, fruity, creamy, buttery, sweet, alcoholic, and fermented, thus achieving an interesting aromatic base to be used in natural flavours.