%0 Journal Article
%T Comparison of SYBR® Green qPCR assay and plate count method to describe growth of Weissella viridescens and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in pure and mixed cultivation.
%A Martins WF
%A Severo DS
%A Longhi DA
%A de Aragão GMF
%J Food Microbiol
%V 119
%N 0
%D 2024 May
%M 38225053
%F 6.374
%R 10.1016/j.fm.2023.104452
%X The current study was conducted to statistically compare the SYBR® Green quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay and the conventional plate counting (PC) method to construct growth curves of a cocktail of Weissella viridescens in pure culture under different isothermal storage conditions (4, 8, 14, and 30 °C) and in mixed culture with Leuconostoc mesenteroides at 8 °C. The efficiency and specificity of the qPCR standard curves were confirmed, and both methods were adequate to quantify the growth kinetics of W. viridescens at all isothermal temperatures, demonstrating a good correlation and agreement. The efficiencies of the standard curves varied between 98% and 102%. The SYBR® Green qPCR assay was also able to differentiate the growth curves of W. viridescens and L. mesenteroides in the mixed culture at 8 °C. Additionally, the SYBR® Green qPCR method was considered a faster and more sensitive alternative to construct growth curves under different isothermal conditions and differentiate morphologically similar lactic acid bacteria. Overall, the results suggest that the SYBR® Green qPCR method is a reliable and efficient tool to study microbial growth kinetics in pure and mixed cultures.