Production of γ-Aminobutyric Acid by Lactobacillus brevis 340G Isolated from Kimchi and Its Application to Skim Milk

The Lactobacillus brevis 340G strain isolated from traditional Korean fermented food (kimchi) produced 15.50 mM of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) after 48 h of cultivation in MRS media containing 1% L-monosodium glutamate (MSG). The culture conditions of Lb. brevis 340G were optimized for GABA production. Lb. brevis 340G was cultivated at 30°C in optimized MRS media containing 3% sucrose and 2% yeast extract with 3% MSG, resulting in maximum GABA production (68.77 mM) after 54 h of cultivation. Skim milk fermented with Lb. brevis 340G produced 4.64 mM of GABA in the presence of 1% MSG. These results suggest that Lb. brevis 340G could be used as a starter for functional fermented foods and skim milk fermented with Lb. brevis 340G could be further developed to become functional dairy food fortified with GABA.