GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ON SAGA SEED–BASED AGAR: A PLANT-DERIVED ALTERNATIVE TO DE MAN ROGOSA SHARPE MEDIUM

Abstrak

Commercial MRS remains the gold standard for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultivation; however, its reliance on import-derived peptone, beef extract, and agarose elevates production costs and restricts halal- and food-grade applications. This study investigates saga seed flour as a fully plant-derived, GRAS-compatible alternative solidifying medium for LAB growth. Saga seeds are rich in galactomannan, fermentable sugars, and soluble fibers with documented prebiotic effects, yet their use as a structural and nutritional matrix for microbial culture has not been previously validated. Saga seed agar was formulated using 2.25 g flour, 1.5 g agar, and 0.5 g NaCl per 100 mL distilled water, and compared against commercial MRS agar using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 14917 and Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393. Growth kinetics were quantified via OD-standardized serial dilution plating. Both strains achieved 5.05–5.08 Log CFU/mL within 24 h on saga seed agar, demonstrating complete equivalence to MRS performance without lag phase or reduced exponential proliferation. These results confirm that saga seed–based media can sustain probiotic biomass accumulation while eliminating animal-derived components. Accordingly, saga seed agar represents a viable dual-purpose platform for high-throughput LAB culture and sustainable media engineering in functional food biotechnology.