Comparative studies of Lactobacillus plantarum were carried out in MRS broth (control) and in 3% (w/v) sugar cane blackstrap molasses enriched as follows: 0.5% yeast extract, 0.5% ammonium citrate and 0.5% sodium acetate (Medium 1) and 0.5% yeast extract, 0.5% ammonium citrate, 0.5% sodium acetate, 0.5% ammonium phosphate, 0.2% ammonium citrate, 0.1% Tween 80 and 0.005% manganese sulphate (Medium 2). The experiment, was carried out at a 5 L fermentor, with 3.5 L as working volume. At the end of the fermentation period MRS presented the highest viable cells production (28.68 log CFU/mL) while in Medium 2 it was 25.80 and in Medium 1 19.36 log CFU/mL. Biomass productivity was 0.0865 g.L-1.h for MRS (control), 0.0768 and 0.0507 g.L-1.h for Medium 2 and Medium 1, respectively. In Medium 1 total available sugar consume was only 60.11% while in MRS and Medium 2 it was 87.21% and 83.80%, respectively.

Foram realizados estudos comparativos do crescimento de Micrococcus varians em meio de cultura BHI (controle) e em meio constituído de melaço de cana-de-açúcar diluído a 2% enriquecido com 0,1% de extrato de levedura. O experimento foi conduzido com três repetições do meio experimental e controle, em fermentador de 5 litros, com volume de trabalho de 3,5 litros, sob agitação contínua (150 rpm), temperatura de 35o ± 0,1°C, aeração 0,7 L ar. l-1 meio. min-1, pH inicial 7,0 ± 0,2, tempo de fermentação de 24 horas e inóculo inicial em torno de log10 UFC/ml. As amostras foram coletadas em intervalos de duas horas. Micrococcus varians cresceu nos dois meios de cultura estudados, confirmando a viabilidade do meio experimental pra o cultivo desta espécie. A concentração média final da biomassa foi maior no meio controle do que no experimental, com 0,99 g.l-1 e 0,78 g.l-1 respectivamente. O número de células viáveis ao final das fermentações foi de 20,65 log10 UFC/ml para o BHI (controle) e 19,43 log10 UFC/ml para o meio experimental. O consumo de açúcares totais no meio controle foi de 79,78%, enquanto no meio experimental foi de apenas 50,53%.

Comparative studies on the growth of Micrococcus varians were carried out in BHI culture medium (control) as well as in a culture medium with 2% diluted sugar cane blackstrap molasses, enriched with 0.1% yeast extract. The experiment was conducted with three samples of the experimental and control media in a 5 liter fermentor with working volume of 3.5 liters, continuous agitation (150 rpm), 35 ± 0.1°C temperature, 0.7 L air. l-1 medium. min -1, initial pH 7.0 ± 0.2, 24 hour fermentation period, and approximate inoculum of 6.0 log10 CFU/ml. Samples were collected at 2-hour intervals. Micrococcus varians grew in the two culture media studied, which confirms the experimental medium viability for the growth of this species. The final average concentration of biomass was higher in the control medium than in the experimental medium: 0.99 g.l-1 and 0.78 g.l-1, respectively. The final number of viable cells at the end of fermentation was 20.65 log10 CFU/ml for the control medium (BHI), while in the experimental medium the number of viable cells was 19.43 log10 CFU/ml. The consumption of total sugars was higher for the biomass in the control medium (79.78%), while only 50.53% was consumed for the experimental medium.