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Another environmental factor that can affect the growth and survival of ''Pediococcus'' is pH. ''P. damnosus'' is unable to grow at a pH of 8 or higher. One study showed that optimal growth for ''P. damnosus'' was observed in [http://www.neogen.com/Acumedia/pdf/ProdInfo/7406_PI.pdf MRS media] after ~84 hours with an initial pH of 6.7, and a final pH of 4.14, which occurred naturally from fermentation. The addition of bacteriological peptone, MnSO4, and Tween 80 also increased activity. Maximum cell densities of ''P. damnosus'' are around 4.3 billion cells/mL in MRS media starting at a pH of 5.5 <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1347683325259878/?comment_id=1349386438422900&reply_comment_id=1350340544994156&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with Richard Preiss on MTF regarding Pediococcus cell density. 07/19/2016.]</ref><ref name="Nel">[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11851822 Growth optimization of Pediococcus damnosus NCFB 1832 and the influence of pH and nutrients on the production of pediocin PD-1. Nel HA, Bauer R, Vandamme EJ, Dicks LM. 2001.]</ref>, but this is only in optimal conditions. Maximum cell density varies based on the conditions of the propagation with pH and nutrient demands being two of the main limiting factors <ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/3qp7b7/advanced_brewers_round_table_neva_parker_white/cwh7iqq Neva Parker, Reddit thread. 10/29/2015.]</ref>.
Although more experiments are probably needed, agitation is believed to be an important factor for any species of microbe (yeast and bacteria). Gentle stirring on a stir plate or orbital shaker, or frequent gentle manual agitation leads to faster growth and a higher number of organisms. Agitation keeps the microbes in solution. It also maximizes the microbes' access to nutrients and disperses waste evenly. In a non-agitated starter, the microbes are limited to the diffusion rate of nutrients, leading to a slower and more stressful growth <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1168024059892473/?comment_id=1174865305875015&reply_comment_id=1176092372418975&total_comments=1&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Conversation with Bryan of Sui Generis Blog about starters and agitation. 11/09/2015.]</ref>. Although ''Pediococcus'' are generally considered facultative anaerobes and oxygen usually does not negatively affect their growth, some strains may show less growth in the presence of oxygen and are considered anaerophilic, meaning that the presence of oxygen inhibits their growth (and therefore their acid production) but they can still grow in the presence of O<sub>2</sub>. The presence of CO<sub>2</sub> has a positive effect on acid production <ref name="NAKAGAWA"></ref><ref name="Oevelen_1979">[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1094/ASBCJ-37-0034 D. Van Oevelen & H. Verachtert (1979) Slime Production by Brewery Strains of Pediococcus Cerevisiae, Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, 37:1, 34-37, DOI: 10.1094/ASBCJ-37-0034.]</ref> . Therefore, it is generally best practice to seal the starter with an airlock.
====Starter Information====