Molecular Characterisation of Bacterial Contamination in Semi-Final Gelatine Extracts, Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

• Published in: Systematic and applied microbiology Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 612 - 619
• Main Authors: de Clerck, Elke, Devos, Joke, de Vos, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Jena Elsevier GmbH 01.09.2004; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Aerobiosis; Bacillus; Bacillus - classification; Bacillus - genetics; Bacillus - isolation & purification; Bacillus cereus; Bacillus fumarioli; Bacillus licheniformis; Bacillus subtilis; bacterial contamination; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Brevibacillus agri; DGGE; DNA Fingerprinting; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - isolation & purification; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - isolation & purification; Drug Contamination; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Food Microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gelatin; gelatine; Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Bacteria - classification; Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Bacteria - genetics; Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Bacteria - isolation & purification; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Nucleic Acid Denaturation - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Spores, Bacterial - cytology; Temperature; gelatine; bacterial contamination; DGGE; Bacillus; Bacillales; Microbiology; Taxonomy; Bacteria; Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis; Bacillaceae; Contamination; Aromatic extract
• ISSN: 0723-2020; 1618-0984
• DOI: 10.1078/0723202041748217

Contamination of gelatine may affect the safety and/or quality of its applications. Characterisation of bacterial isolates from semi-final gelatine batches revealed thermotolerant, aerobic, endosporeforming contaminants. In this paper, bacterial contamination in gelatine batches is analysed without previous isolation, by means of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA sequences. V9 and V6–V8 regions of the 16S rDNA gene were found more suitable for this purpose than V1 or V3 regions. Bacillus fumarioli, Bacillus licheniformis, members of the ‘ Bacillus cereus group’, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus shackletonii, Brevibacillus borstelensis and Brevibacillus agri were detected.