Changes

General starter information for commercial ''Pediococcus'' cultures is limited. In addition to the various [[Pediococcus#Manufacturer_Tips|starter suggestions by various labs]] regarding their individual cultures, Jeff Mello of Bootleg Biology reported good growth results when using 2 grams of calcium carbonate (chalk; CaCO3) per liter of wort for starters of Sour Weapon <ref name="mello_starter"></ref>. This same formula might benefit other ''Pediococcus'' starters as well. The CaCO3 serves as a buffering agent that keeps the starter pH from getting too low too fast, and is similar to the concept of buffered growth media for ''Lactobacillus'' (see [[Lactobacillus#Samuel_Aeschlimann.27s_Starter_Procedures|''Lactobacillus'' Starter]]). Starters of ''P. damnosus'' cultures could require around 84 hours for optimal growth, however , this time requirement hasn't been looked at in wort starters (only MRS media) <ref name="Nel"></ref>. All species require nicotinic acid (niacin), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), and biotin (vitamin B₇) for growth, so these vitamins could be added to ''Pediococcus'' specific growth media. Other vitamins, such as riboflavin and pyridoxine, might stimulate growth for some strains of ''P. damnosus'' <ref name="Wade_2018" />.