Elsevier

Food Microbiology

Volume 44, December 2014, Pages 296-301
Food Microbiology

Effect of autochthonous bacteriocin-producing Lactococcus lactis on bacterial population dynamics and growth of halotolerant bacteria in Brazilian charqui

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2014.06.025Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Influence of a bacteriocinogenic strain on charqui fermentation was investigated.

  • Bacteriocins inhibited halotolerant microorganisms which might spoil the product.

  • Presence of Lactococcus lactis 69 did not affect the fermentative microbiota of charqui.

  • L. lactis 69 presented safety aspects for application in food.

  • L. lactis 69 evidenced a potential application in biopreservation of charqui.

Abstract

Charqui is a fermented, salted and sun-dried meat product, widely consumed in Brazil and exported to several countries. Growth of microorganisms in this product is unlikely due to reduced Aw, but halophilic and halotolerant bacteria may grow and cause spoilage. Charqui is a good source of lactic acid bacteria able to produce antimicrobial bacteriocins. In this study, an autochthonous bacteriocinogenic strain (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis 69), isolated from charqui, was added to the meat used for charqui manufacture and evaluated for its capability to prevent the growth of spoilage bacteria during storage up to 45 days. The influence of L. lactis 69 on the bacterial diversity during the manufacturing of the product was also studied, using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). L. lactis 69 did not affect the counts and diversity of lactic acid bacteria during manufacturing and storage, but influenced negatively the populations of halotolerant microorganisms, reducing the spoilage potential. The majority of tested virulence genes was absent, evidencing the safety and potential technological application of this strain as an additional hurdle to inhibit undesirable microbial growth in this and similar fermented meat products.

Keywords

Charqui
Spoilage
Halotolerant microorganisms
Lactococcus lactis
Bacteriocin

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