Isolation and characterization of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria from ready-to-eat food products.
Lactic acid bacteria isolated from a range of foods sold in ready-to-eat form were screened for bacteriocin production. Twenty-two bacteriocin-producing cultures were isolated from 14 of the 41 foods sampled. Bacteriocin-producing isolates from meat, fish and dairy products were Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc species typically found associated with these products. Most of these isolates gave only a narrow inhibitory spectrum although two showed activity against Listeria monocytogenes. Fruit and vegetable products gave a broader range of organisms but most of the bacteriocin-producing cultures were found to be strains of Lactococcus. Several lactococci produced a nisin-like activity, and showed a broad inhibitory spectrum against the indicator strains tested. The ease with which bacteriocin-producing strains could be isolated implies that they are already being safely consumed in food, and highlights the potential for using bacteriocin-producing cultures for biopreservation, especially in association with minimally processed products.
Kelly
W J
WJ
Horticulture and Food Research Institute, Batchelar Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand. bkelly@hort.cri.nz
Asmundson
R V
RV
Huang
C M
CM
D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017045:Lactococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D007934:Leuconostoc / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
D001430:Bacteriocins