Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
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| Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Orla-Jensen 1919) Rogosa & Hansen 1971 Weiss et al. 1984 (subspecies status) |
Lactobacillus bulgaricus (binomial name Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) is one of several bacteria used for the production of yogurt. First identified in 1905 by the Bulgarian doctor Stamen Grigorov, it is named after Bulgaria.
The bacterium feeds on milk and produces lactic acid which also helps to preserve the milk. It breaks down lactose and is often helpful to sufferers of lactose intolerance, whose digestive systems lack the enzymes to break down lactose to simpler sugars. While fermenting milk, Lactobacillus bulgaricus produces acetaldehyde, which perfumes yogurt. Some of the biggest importers of the bacterium are Japan, USA and the EU.
