Date Approved

2013

Date Posted

4-15-2013

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

Chemistry

First Advisor

Steven Pernecky, PhD

Second Advisor

Lynne Shetron-Rama, PhD

Abstract

Interest in determining the mechanism by which pro biotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) has increased over the past few years. This study uses gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to characterize lactate production in aerobic test tube cultures, aerobic bioreactor cultures, and anaerobic bioreactor cultures. To collect anaerobic bioreactor samples, a novel in vitro anaerobic model was developed. The pH and colony forming units of each bacterial sample was also measured in order to understand the correlation between lactate production and bacterial growth. The purpose of this study was to analyze production of SCFA in co-cultures and to develop an anaerobic model to analyze SCFA production by anaerobic bacteria. 4

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