title: Isolation and characterization of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria from ready-to-eat food products.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Horticulture and Food Research Institute, Batchelar Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand. bkelly@hort.cri.nz
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Asmundson
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001430:Bacteriocins