Lactobacillus acidophillus

Click here to see a JPEG of this microbe. Kingdom: Eubacteria Scientific Name: Lactobacillus acidophilus Image Courtesy of: Kandler, Weiss, & Holt (eds) Bergey's Manual Image Width: 2 microns Image Technology: TEM

This microbe is a bacterium called Lactobacillus acidophillus. It is special because it can help preserve foods. It does this by making its environment, our food, acidic. This acid makes food taste sour. Some of the foods this microbes helps preserve include cabbage to form sauerkraut, milk to form yoghurt, and flourdough to form sourdough bread. These microbes make acids as a waste product (byproduct) of fermentation. This acid makes the environment toxic to most other microbes which might otherwise ruin the food.