Lentilactobacillus (Len.ti.lac.to.ba.cil’lus. L. masc. adj. lentus slow, sluggish, referring to the slow growth of species in the genus with lactate or propanediol as carbon course; N.L. masc. n. Lactobacillus a bacterial genus name; N.L. masc. n. Lentilactobacillus a slow [growing] lactobacillus).

Gram-positive, rod-shaped, catalase negative, heterofermentative. Most strains grow at 15 °C and some also grow at 45 °C, the pH range of growth is highly variable but optimal growth is typically observed below pH 6.0. The genome size ranges from 1.57 Mbp for Lentilactobacillus senioris to 4.91 Mbp for Lentilactobacillus parakefiri, the mol% G+C content of DNA ranges from 39.1–45.2 %. Strains in the genus were isolated from silage, fermented vegetables, particularly as secondary fermentation or spoilage microbiota, (spoiled) wine and cereal mashes. Generally, strains in the species lead a free-living lifestyle; individual species of the genus, particularly L. senioris, appear to transition to a specialized, host adapted lifestyle. Lentilactobacillus species generally metabolize a broad spectrum of pentoses, hexoses, and disaccharides. Most species metabolize lactate to 1,2-propanediol and / or 1,2-propanediol to propanol and propionate; these pathways are virtually exclusive to heterofermentative lactobacilli and, among these, most common and most frequent in Lentilactobacillus. Most Lentilactobacillus species also convert agmatine, a product of bacterial decarboxylation of arginine, via the agmatine deiminase pathway [14, 326]; in lactobacilli, this pathway is associated with a free-living lifestyle. Lentilactobacillus species are used commercially as silage starter cultures, and in few dairy and cereal applications.

A phylogenetic tree on the basis of 16S rRNA genes of all species in the genus Lentilactobacillus is provided in Figure S6S.

The type species of the genus is Lentilactobacillus buchneri comb. nov.; Lentilactobacillus was previously referred to as L. buchneri group.