Metabolic Conversions by Lactic Acid Bacteria during Plant Protein Fermentations

was observed if the material was only pasteurised. Enzyme activities for strains measured in rich broth vs. a buffered protein solution showed little-to-no correlation, which illustrated the importance of screening conditions to obtain predictive enzyme measurements. Aroma formation analysis allowed to identify strains that were able to increase key aromas such as diacetyl, acetoin, 2- and 3-methyl butanol, and 2,3-pentanedione, as well as decrease the off-flavours hexanal, pentanal, and nonanal. Our findings illustrate the importance of strain specific differences in the assessed functionalities and how a methodical approach to screening LAB can be applied to select suitable microorganisms that show promise in fermentation of plant proteins when applied in non-dairy cheese applications.