Brazilian artisanal cheeses as a source of beneficial Enterococcus faecium strains: characterization of the bacteriocinogenic potential

• Published in: Annals of microbiology Vol. 64; no. 4; pp. 1463 - 1471
• Main Authors: dos Santos, Karina Maria Olbrich, Vieira, Antônio Diogo Silva, Rocha, Cíntia Renata Costa, do Nascimento, Jessica Catarine Frutuoso, de Souza Lopes, Ana Catarina, Bruno, Laura Maria, Carvalho, Juliane Döering Gasparin, de Melo Franco, Bernadette Dora Gombossy, Todorov, Svetoslav Dimitrov
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• Subjects: alpha-amylase; Applied Microbiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; catalase; cheeses; DNA; Enterococcus faecium; genes; Life Sciences; Listeria monocytogenes; Medical Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; milk; Mycology; Original Article; peptides; polymerase chain reaction; proteolysis; ribosomal RNA; salts; surfactants; traditional technology; Bacteriocin-like substance; activity; Anti; Bacteriocin
• ISSN: 1590-4261; 1869-2044
• DOI: 10.1007/s13213-013-0789-4

Two bacterial isolates from milk and cheeses were selected based on their inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes, and classified as Enterococcus faecium based on 16S rRNA analysis. In MRS broth at 37 °C, bacteriocin-like substances (BLS) produced by E. faecium EM485 and EM925 were detected at 3,200 arbitrary units/mL. These peptides were inactivated by proteolytic enzymes, but not when treated with α-amylase, catalase and lipase. The two BLS remained stable at pH values ranging from 2.0 to 10.0, after exposure to 100 °C for 120 min and in the presence of surfactants and salts. DNA from both strains generated positive PCR results for enterocin A and B genes.