Development of Wide-Spectrum Hybrid Bacteriocins for Food Biopreservation

The food industry demands new procedures and methods to produce minimally processed, ready to eat food with intact nutritional, taste, and flavor properties. The biopreservation and the use of both bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bacteriocinogenic strains as an alternative to substitute chemical antimicrobial for food preservation became increasingly important in the last two decades. When the new proposed natural preservatives techniques are applied, probiotics food can be obtained and, simultaneously, foodborne pathogens and spoilage contaminants can diminish. However, bacteriocins produced by LAB have a narrow antibacterial spectrum and are inactive against Gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella and the emergent enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Knowing the mechanism of action and the structural features of microcins synthesized by Gram-negative bacteria and with potent antimicrobial activity against the mentioned microorganism, the proposal is to obtain hybrid peptides (microcin–bacteriocin) with broad antimicrobial spectrum. This review explains how the inability of bacteriocins to cross the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria unable them to act on the bacteria. It will also be discussed how a hybrid bacteriocin can be obtained.     

Class IIa bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria: antibacterial activity and food preservation

In the last decade, a variety of ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides, or bacteriocins, produced by lactic acid bacteria have been identified and characterized. As a result of these studies, insight has been gained into various fundamental aspects of biology and biochemistry such as bacteriocin processing and secretion, mechanisms of cell immunity, and structure-function relationships. In parallel, there has been a growing awareness that bacteriocins may be developed into useful antimicrobial food additives. Class IIa bacteriocins can be considered as the major subgroup of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria, not only because of their large number, but also because of their significant biological activities and potential applications. The present review provides an overview of the knowledge available for class IIa bacteriocins and discusses common features and recent findings concerning these substances. The activity and potential food applications of class IIa bacteriocins are a major focus of this review.     

Bacteriocins: safe, natural antimicrobials for food preservation.

Bacteriocins are antibacterial proteins produced by bacteria that kill or inhibit the growth of other bacteria. Many lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce a high diversity of different bacteriocins. Though these bacteriocins are produced by LAB found in numerous fermented and non-fermented foods, nisin is currently the only bacteriocin widely used as a food preservative. Many bacteriocins have been characterized biochemically and genetically, and though there is a basic understanding of their structure-function, biosynthesis, and mode of action, many aspects of these compounds are still unknown. This article gives an overview of bacteriocin applications, and differentiates bacteriocins from antibiotics. A comparison of the synthesis. mode of action, resistance and safety of the two types of molecules is covered. Toxicity data exist for only a few bacteriocins, but research and their long-time intentional use strongly suggest that bacteriocins can be safely used.     

Preservation and fermentation: past,present and future

Preservation of food and beverages resulting from fermentation has been an effective form of extending the shelf-life of foods for millennia. Traditionally, foods were preserved through naturally occurring fermentations, however, modern large scale production generally now exploits the use of defined strain starter systems to ensure consistency and quality in the final product. This review will mainly focus on the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for food improvement, given their extensive application in a wide range of fermented foods. These microorganisms can produce a wide variety of antagonistic primary and secondary metabolites including organic acids, diacetyl, CO2 and even antibiotics such as reuterocyclin produced by Lactobacillus reuteri. In addition, members of the group can also produce a wide range of bacteriocins, some of which have activity against food pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum. Indeed, the bacteriocin nisin has been used as an effective biopreservative in some dairy products for decades, while a number of more recently discovered bacteriocins, such as lacticin 3147, demonstrate increasing potential in a number of food applications. Both of these lactococcal bacteriocins belong to the lantibiotic family of posttranslationally modified bacteriocins that contain lanthionine, beta-methyllanthionine and dehydrated amino acids. The exploitation of such naturally produced antagonists holds tremendous potential for extension of shelf-life and improvement of safety of a variety of foods.     

安全的天然食品防腐剂细菌素

细菌素是细菌产生的可以杀死或抑制别的细菌生长的抗菌蛋白。许多乳酸菌(LAB)产生各种各样的细菌素，其中的尼生素是唯一的在食品中作为防腐剂广泛使用的细菌素。文章综述了以尼生素为重点对细菌素与抗生素的区别、活性细菌素分子的形成以及其在食品中的应用，并比较了这两种类型的分子的合成、作用模式、抵抗力和安全性。     

提高乳酸菌细菌素合成量方法的研究进展

细菌素是某些细菌通过核糖体合成机制产生的蛋白质或多肽,能够抑制与其亲源关系相同或相近的微生物,某些细菌素在食品加工和发酵过程中能抑制致病菌和腐败菌。乳酸菌被认为是一般公认安全,其细菌素具有安全性高、稳定性好、抑菌谱广等优点,作为一种新型食品防腐剂备受关注,但商品化的乳酸菌细菌素十分有限,仅限于Nisin和Pediocin PA-1等少数几种,合成量低是细菌素在食品中应用受限的主要原因之一。从不同原料中筛选高产菌株、发酵培养基和发酵条件优化、诱变育种、原生质体融合、基因工程方法、群体感应系统调控六个方面,论述了增加乳酸菌细菌素合成量的方法,以期为实现乳酸菌细菌素的工业化生产提供一定的借鉴。     

Charakterisierung einiger Bacteriocine im Hinblick auf mögliche Anwendungen im Lebensmittelbereich. 1. Mitt. Stammauswahl

Characterization of some bacteriocins with regard to possible applications in food industry. Part 1. Selection of strains. The ability to produce bacteriocins is common in all genera of lactic acid bacteria. Thirty-four out of 223 strains of lactic acid bacteria from the culture collection of the University Potsdam produced bacteriocins active against one or more indicator strains. Seventeen Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, frequent occur as spoilage bacteria in food industry, were chosen as indicator strains, and 11 of them were inhibited by one or several bacteriocin producers. Most of the bacteriocin producers belong to the genera Enterococcus or Lactobacillus. Bacteriocins derived from Enterococcus faecium and Pediococcus acidilactici exhibited the widest inhibitory spectrum. The properties of Enterococcus faecium 10.051 and Enterococcus faecium 10.211 bacteriocins were further investigated to evaluate their potential use as natural food preservatives. The bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecium 10.211 exhibited a very wide inhibitory spectrum against food-spoiling strains. It was heat stable (100 °C for 60 min) and stable in a wide range of pH (1.2–10.0). The bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecium 10.051 showed a smaller inhibitory spectrum, and it was less stable against temperature and pH as the bacteriocin from strain 10.211. Both bacteriocins were inactivated by proteinase K. pronase E, and α-chymotrypsin. Bacteriocin from strain 10.211 will be the object of further investigations for application of bacteriocins in food industry.     

Factors influencing production of bacteriocins by lactic acid bacteria

Bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria have potential for use as food biopreservatives to control spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. For economical use in food, the bacteriocins have to be produced in large amounts and preferably by growing the strains in media containing food grade ingredients. The influence of several factors on production of nisin by Lactococcus lactis, pediocin AcH by Pediococcus acidilactici, leuconocin Lcm1 by Leuconostoc carnosum Lm1 and sakacin A by Lactobacillus sake Lb 706 were studied. Among the several strains studied in each species, only some strains produced higher amounts of the bacteriocins. Production of a bacteriocin in a simple medium can be increased by growing the cells at optimum pH and supplementing with nutrients specific for a species/strain. Conditions that provide high cell density favor high bacteriocin production. Growing cells under an optimum environment for 16 h facilitates high bacteriocin production. For high yield of a bacteriocin, these aspects need to be considered.     

Bacteriocins as food preservatives: Challenges and emerging horizons

ABSTRACT

The increasing demand for fresh-like food products and the potential health hazards of chemically preserved and processed food products have led to the advent of alternative technologies for the preservation and maintenance of the freshness of the food products. One such preservation strategy is the usage of bacteriocins or bacteriocins producing starter cultures for the preservation of the intended food matrixes. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized smaller polypeptide molecules that exert antagonistic activity against closely related and unrelated group of bacteria. This review is aimed at bringing to lime light the various class of bacteriocins mainly from gram positive bacteria. The desirable characteristics of the bacteriocins which earn them a place in food preservation technology, the success story of the same in various food systems, the various challenges and the strategies employed to put them to work efficiently in various food systems has been discussed in this review. From the industrial point of view various aspects like the improvement of the producer strains, downstream processing and purification of the bacteriocins and recent trends in engineered bacteriocins has also been briefly discussed in this review.     

Physical and nutritional conditions for optimized production of bacteriocins by lactic acid bacteria – A review

ABSTRACT

There has been an increasing debate about the use of synthetic chemical compounds and the consequences of their use in food preservation. In this context, the utilization of some natural compounds produced by bacteria, showing an inhibitory effect against microorganisms associated with food contamination, have gained attention as preservation technology. In order to improve the production and yield costs of bacteriocins, detailed studies are necessary to determine the conditions that allow an optimized production and extraction of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In this context, this article aims to discuss the information regarding the main factors that influence bacteriocin production by LAB. The biosynthesis of bacteriocins can be influenced by various culture conditions, such as the composition of the medium, pH, temperature and growth kinetics of the microorganisms. One of the limiting factors for the use of bacteriocins on a large scale in food preservation is the economic factor. In order for the production costs of bacteriocins to be reduced, making them attractive, it is necessary to know the optimum parameters of production, thus maximizing productivity and making costs more attractive.     

Heterologous production of bacteriocins by lactic acid bacteria

Over the last two decades, bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been the subject of considerable research and industrial interest due to their potential as food biopreservatives. The development of heterologous expression systems for such antimicrobial compounds may offer a number of advantages over native systems, such as facilitating the control of bacteriocin gene expression or achieving higher production levels. In addition, the heterologous production by food-grade LAB offers an attractive method for overcoming some of the adverse situations that may affect the effectiveness of some bacteriocins in food systems. Construction of multibacteriocinogenic strains or acquisition of antimicrobial properties by industrial strains are further objectives that can be achieved through the use of heterologous gene expression systems. The development of new biotechnological tools and recent advances in LAB genetics account for the escalating number of studies dealing with heterologous production of bacteriocins by such hosts. This paper reviews the literature published on the subject and compares the different experimental strategies that have been used up to the present for this purpose.     

Lactobacillus salivarius: Bacteriocin and probiotic activity

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) antimicrobial peptides typically exhibit antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens, as well as spoilage bacteria. Therefore, they have attracted the greatest attention as tools for food biopreservation. In some countries LAB are already extensively used as probiotics in food processing and preservation. LAB derived bacteriocins have been utilized as oral, topical antibiotics or disinfectants. Lactobacillus salivarius is a promising probiotic candidate commonly isolated from human, porcine, and avian gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), many of which are producers of unmodified bacteriocins of sub-classes IIa, IIb and IId. It is a well-characterized bacteriocin producer and probiotic organism. Bacteriocins may facilitate the introduction of a producer into an established niche, directly inhibit the invasion of competing strains or pathogens, or modulate the composition of the microbiota and influence the host immune system. This review gives an up-to-date overview of all L. salivarius strains, isolated from different origins, known as bacteriocin producing and/or potential probiotic.     

乳酸菌细菌素的抑菌活性测定及效价表示方法

细菌素是某些细菌所产生的一类具有抑菌活性的代谢产物,它由于高效、无毒、不产生抗药性等优良特点,近年来作为生物抑菌剂得到广泛应用。目前应用于实际生产中的细菌素只有有限几种,而且细菌素受自身性质的局限,并非在任何环境下都能发挥应有效应,只有不断挖掘新鲜高效的细菌素产品,才能推动生物防腐技术的发展。目前判定细菌素抑菌效果的主要检测方式为琼脂扩散法和浊度法,而随着技术的进步,一些新型高效的方法如辐射法、ELISA试剂盒以及生物工程技术有望成为有效的替代方法。本文着重综述了在细菌素抑菌活性测定时样品制备中应注意的一些问题,同时较全面地比较了细菌素抑菌活性的测定方法以及细菌素效价的表示方式,以助于提高研究结果表示的规范性,为相关研究以及细菌素更好地应用到生物技术领域提供帮助和指导。     

环境胁迫调控植物乳杆菌细菌素合成的研究进展

植物乳杆菌作为具有重要经济价值的乳酸菌被广泛应用于食品发酵与保鲜领域,由于其代谢过程中会产生具有广谱抑菌特性、对热稳定且易被蛋白酶水解的细菌素,因此有作为天然食品生物防腐剂的较大应用潜力。研究表明,在发酵过程中菌体的生长和细菌素的合成受多种环境因素如盐胁迫、酸胁迫、氧胁迫及低高温胁迫的影响,但目前环境因素调节信号分子产生以及调控相关基因合成细菌素的具体机制仍然有待研究,另一方面,通用的调控通路还未被发现。因此,本文介绍了植物乳杆菌抵御胁迫的反应机制并详细阐述了环境胁迫下与细菌素合成密切相关的调控基因和重要调控蛋白,为食品发酵加工过程中合理控制发酵条件,促进细菌素合成从而延长食品货架期提供理论依据。     

Probiotics and Its Functionally Valuable Products—A Review

During the past two decades probiotic bacteria have been increasingly proposed as health promoting bacteria in variety of food system, because of its safety, functional, and technological characteristics. Commonly, Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Saccharomyces boulardii, and some other microorganisms have been considered as probiotic strains. Possibly these bacterial strains exerted several beneficial effects into gastrointestinal tract of host while administered with variety of food system. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) usually produce antimicrobial substances like bacteriocin which have broad spectrum of antagonist effect against closely related Gram positive and Gram negative pathogens. LAB strains often produce polymeric substances such as exopolysaccharides (EPS) which increase the colonization of probiotic bacteria by cell–cell interactions in gastrointestinal tract. LAB also produces biosurfactant which showed that the wide range of antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogen as well as its antiadhesive properties reduces the adhesion of pathogens into gastric wall membrane. Furthermore, LAB strains have also been reported for production of antioxidants which are ability to scavenge the free radicals such as superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals. For this sense, this review article is mainly focused on the ecology, biosynthesis, genetics, target sites, and applications of bacteriocins and EPS from LAB strains. Moreover, this review discusses about the production and functions of nutritive essential element folate and iron chelating agent such as siderophores from LAB.     

Pediocin PA-1, a wide-spectrum bacteriocin from lactic acid bacteria

Pediocin PA-1 is a broad-spectrum lactic acid bacteria bacteriocin that shows a particularly strong activity against Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen of special concern among the food industries. This antimicrobial peptide is the most extensively studied class Ila (or pediocin family) bacteriocin, and it has been sufficiently well characterized to be used as a food biopreservative. This review focuses on the progress that have been made in the elucidation of its structure, mode of action, and biosynthesis, and includes an overview of its applications in food systems. The aspects that need further research are also addressed. In the future, protein engineering, genetic engineering and/or chemical synthesis may lead to the development of new antimicrobial peptides with improved properties, based on some features of the pediocin PA-1 molecule.     

乳酸菌细菌素研究进展及其在水产养殖和加工中的应用

乳酸菌细菌素是一种由乳酸菌在核糖体内合成、具有抑菌活性的多肽或蛋白质。由于乳酸菌通常被认为是安全的微生物,因此由它产生的细菌素受到了广泛地关注。目前由于大部分乳酸菌细菌素抑菌机理研究还不够深入,在一定程度上限制了它的发展和应用。本文对现有乳酸菌细菌素研究成果进行总结,并对细菌素进行了系统分类,阐述了各类乳酸菌细菌素对革兰氏阳性菌的作用机理,最后介绍了乳酸菌细菌素在水产养殖、水产品加工贮藏过程中的应用,旨在为乳酸菌细菌素的应用提供新的探索和基础理论依据。     

Enterococcus faecium RZS C5, an interesting bacteriocin producer to be used as a co-culture in food fermentation

Enterocins, bacteriocins produced by enterococci, are gaining interest because of their industrial potential. Due to its bacteriocin production, Enterococcus faecium RZS C5, a natural cheese isolate, has a strong activity towards Listeria monocytogenes. For this reason, the strain may be applicable as a bacteriocin-producing co-culture in food fermentation in order to reduce the risk on Listeria outgrowth. The strain displays remarkable bacteriocin production kinetics. Whereas most lactic acid bacteria produce bacteriocin in a growth-associated way until the beginning of the stationary phase, bacteriocin production by E. faecium RZS C5 in MRS broth at controlled pH values below 7.5 is characterised by a boost of bacteriocin activity levels in the very early growth phase. In addition, bacteriocin production kinetics are closely linked to the environmental and cultural conditions. However, no straightforward statement about the effect of environmental stress on bacteriocin production can be made since the effect is dependent on the type of stress applied. Kinetic experiments in milk and on pilot scale, applying Cheddar cheese-making conditions, have indicated that the strain may be effective as a bacteriocin-producing co-culture. Further research is needed to evaluate the use of E. faecium RZS C5 as a co-culture for the production of fermented sausage.     

Bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria: Their potentials as food biopreservative

Abstract

Numerous strains of lactic acid bacteria used in the fermentation of foods are known to produce bacteriocins. In general, bacteriocins are a group of proteinaceous antimicrobial substances that inhibit the growth of closely related bacteria. However, some bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) exhibit a relatively broad antimicrobial spectrum and are active against several food‐spoilage and health‐threatening microorganisms. Many investigators have reported on the use of bacteriocins as food preservative to extend the shelflife of various foods. This review decribes the research that has been conducted on bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria— isolated from a wide variety of foods and in some instances of animal origin—and the characteristics of bacteriocins. Special emphasis is placed on their potentials for use as food preservative and on their physicochemical nature, antibacterial spectrum, and genetic behavior.     

ISOLATION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL BACTERIOCIN PRODUCED BY LACTOCOCCUS LACTIS SSP. LACTIS MC38

This work presents the isolation and partial characterization of a new lactococcal bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis MC38. The bacteriocin demonstrated broad spectrum of inhibition activity against both pathogenic and food spoilage organisms, and various lactic acid bacteria. This antimicrobial substance appeared to be proteinaceous because its activity was completely inactivated by proteinase K and α‐chymotrypsin. It was heat and pH stable. The apparent molecular mass of the purified bacteriocin, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 8.0 kDa. The amino acid composition of the studied bacteriocin was found to be quite different from known lactococcal bacteriocins. The calculation of the number of amino acid residues in the bacteriocin molecule revealed that it contained 62 amino acids.