Bacteriocin-Mediated
Antagonistic Activity of Lactococcus lactis S93 against Foodborne Pathogens
Bendimerad Nahida, Cherif Anntar Asmaa, Zatla Ilyes and Moussa Boudjemaa Boumediene
Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 20(10); 1-6;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/2010rjbt0106; (2025)
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have long been recognized for their significant role
in food preservation, fermentation and human health. They exhibit antimicrobial
properties through the production of organic acids, hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins
which can effectively inhibit the growth of spoilage organisms and pathogenic bacteria.
Among LAB, Lactococcus lactis is widely studied for its potential as a natural biopreservative
due to its ability to produce antimicrobial peptides known as bacteriocins. This
study aims to investigate the antagonistic effect of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
S93 against several foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus,
Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis. By utilizing
the agar overlay technique, inhibition zones were measured to determine the extent
of bacterial suppression. The inhibitory compounds were further characterized by
evaluating the effects of neutralized pH and enzymatic treatments. The results demonstrated
that Lactococcus lactis S93 effectively inhibited the growth of all tested pathogens,
primarily through the production of bacteriocins and organic acids.
Furthermore, the observed effect was determined to be bacteriostatic rather than
bactericidal, suggesting its potential application as a biopreservative in food
products. These findings contribute to the growing body of research supporting the
use of Lactococcus lactis strains for improving food safety and shelf-life. Future
research should focus on optimizing bacteriocin production and assessing its efficacy
in real food matrices.
