Solid state fermentation of the winter savory (Satureja montana L) plant: changes of chemical composition and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

Solid State Fermentation (SSF), which consists of the microbial growth and product formation on solid particles in the absence of an aqueous phase, has recently attracted special attention of researchers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of winter savory plant fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) by using SSF. Dried winter savory plant was fermented under SSF conditions for 72 hours using Lactobacillus and Pediococcus genera belonging to isolated LAB from spontaneous Lithuanian rye sourdoughs. The essential oils were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide and the composition of volatile compounds was analyzed by means of GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity of extracts was tested using an agar well diffusion assay method.[...]