AimsMembers of the Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum groups are capable of aerobic and respiratory growth. However, they grow poorly in aerobiosis in the currently available chemically defined media, suggesting that aerobic and respiratory growth require further supplementation. Methods and ResultsThe effect of Tween 80, l-alanine, l-asparagine, l-aspartate, l-proline and l-serine on anaerobic and respiratory growth of Lact.casei N87 was investigated using a 2(5) factorial design. The effectiveness of modified CDM (mCDM) was validated on 21 strains of Lact.casei and Lact.plantarum groups. Tween 80 supplementation did not affect anaerobic growth, but improved respiratory growth. l-asparagine, l-proline and l-serine were stimulatory for respiring cells, while the presence of l-aspartate, generally, impaired biomass production. mCDM promoted the growth of Lact.casei and Lact.plantarum, with best results for strains showing a respiratory phenotype. ConclusionsThe nutritional requirements of anaerobic and respiratory cultures of members of the Lact.casei and Lact.plantarum groups differ. Tween 80 and selected amino acids derived from pathways related to TCA cycle, pyruvate conversion and NADH recycling are required for respiration. Significance and Impact of the StudyThe availability of mCDM will facilitate the study of aerobic metabolism of lactobacilli under controlled conditions.