lactobacillus

1 6.7

A type of bacteria that turns milk into yogurt and helps digestion

noun
/ˌlæktoʊbəˈsɪləs/

Specialized

: lactobacilo

Examples

And any beer not consumed young would quickly sour from exposure to lactobacillus.

Blog text (24)
And that was because the wooden barrel was lined with Lactobacillus from years and years and years of having cheese be fermented in it.
Considering the overall growth impact from day 0 up until day 120, the CFU/g values demonstrated an increased lactobacillus growth trend in both groups.

Academic text (2015)
There was a variation in the count of coliform and lactobacillus in feces at day 0 in both supplemented and control groups.

Academic text (2015)
Many types of fermented foods, like yogurt, are rich in lactobacillus which helps improve digestion.
The presence of lactobacillus in the cheese helped enhance its flavor and texture.
Researchers study lactobacillus to understand its role in promoting digestive health.

Compounds

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Specialized

1 4.1

A helpful kind of bacteria that lives in the gut and is in yogurt and probiotic supplements

Surface Forms

lactobacillus singular

lactobacilli plural

Morphology

lactobacillus = bacillus (semi-transparent) = lacto + bacillus

Formed from the combining form 'lacto-' (milk) + 'bacillus' (rod-shaped bacterium); the scientific composition is guessable to learners familiar with scientific terms but is specialized vocabulary.

Etymology

Lactobacillus comes from the Latin parts lacto- meaning 'milk' and bacillus meaning 'little rod'. So a lactobacillus is a tiny, rod-shaped bacterium that loves milk and helps make yogurt and cheese by producing lactic acid.