Accumulation of Intracellular Glycogen and Trehalose by Propionibacterium freudenreichii under Conditions Mimicking Cheese Ripening in the Cold

Abstract

Seven Propionibacterium freudenreichii strains exhibited similar responses when placed at 4°C. They slowed down cell machinery, displayed cold stress responses, and rerouted their carbon metabolism toward trehalose and glycogen synthesis, both accumulated in cells. These results highlight the molecular basis of long-term survival of P. freudenreichii in the cold.