Lactic acid bacteria have been used since ancient times for food preparation and for bio-conservation by fermentation. Selected strains are capable of producing antimicrobial peptides bacteriocins, which can be natural preservatives, especially in products with short shelf lives. The present study is focused on inhibitory effects of the bacteriocin-producing bacteria strains Enterococcus faeciu...

Gassericin A, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus gasseri LA39, shows antibacterial activity against a number of Gram-positive food-borne pathogenic bacteria. Circularin A produced by Clostridium beijerinckii ATCC25752 is active against C. tyrobutyricum, a known cheese-spoilage bacterium. Both bacteriocins were purified to homogeneity from culture supernatants by reverse-phase chromatograph...

Bacteriocins are ribosomally produced peptides useful for food biopreservation. An improved adsorption-desorption process is proposed for the partial purification of the bacteriocin produced by the fish isolate Carnobacterium maltaromaticum C2. Analyzis of extract by SDS-PAGE indicated this method may offer an alternative to improve the yield of purification of bacteriocins.

Bacteriocins are an abundant class of antimicrobial molecules that appear to mediate population dynamics within species. The bacteriocins of Escherichia coli have served as a model for exploring the ecological role of these potent toxins. Studies suggest that colicins provide a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments and that there might be a trade-off between the costs and benefits of c...

In the food industry, contamination by spoilage microorganisms results in severe safety and economic problems. In the sake-brewing process, spoilaging phenomena caused by several Lactobacillus species, so-called hiochi bacteria, seriously deteriorate the quality of sake, such as lowering the pH, increasing turbidity, and producing offflavors [1,2]. Sake with an ethanol concentration greater tha...

Bacteriocins and microcins are ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides that are usually active against phylogenetically related bacteria. Thus, bacteriocins are active against Gram-positive while microcins are active against Gram-negative bacteria. The narrow spectrum of action generally displayed by bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria represents an important limitation for the applic...

Bacteriocins are an abundant and diverse group of ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria and archaea. Traditionally, bacteriocin production has been considered an important trait in the selection of probiotic strains, but until recently, few studies have definitively demonstrated the impact of bacteriocin production on the ability of a strain to compete within compl...

Background: Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), the causative agent of bacterial citrus canker, has affected citriculture worldwide. Varieties of means have been used to minimize its devastating effects, but no attention has been given to bacteriocins. Objectives: Here and for the first time, we report the isolation and characterization of two novel bacteriocins. Materials and Methods: Secret...

Sakacin G is a 37-amino-acid-residue-long class IIa bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus sake 2512, which is encoded by the duplicated structural genes skgA1 and skgA2. Sakacin G appears to be unique and seems to be an intermediate between pediocin-like bacteriocins, according to its double-disulfide bridges required for antimicrobial activity, and mesentericin-like bacteriocins in terms of se...

A rapid and simple two-step procedure suitable for both small- and large-scale purification of pediocin-like bacteriocins and other cationic peptides has been developed. In the first step, the bacterial culture was applied directly on a cation-exchange column (1-ml cation exchanger per 100-ml cell culture). Bacteria and anionic compounds passed through the column, and cationic bacteriocins were...