Background

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) produce bacteriocins, which have recently attracted considerable interest as alternatives to antibiotics. Cheese, a fermented food rich in LAB, is highly perishable and susceptible to contamination by foodborne pathogens.

Objectives

This study aims to assess the antibacterial properties of Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitory Substances (BLIS) from four LAB i.e. Lactobacillus fermentum strain NBRC15885 (L. fermentum), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain NBRC 15889 (L. paracasei), Pediococcus acidilactici DSM 20284 (P. acidilactici), and Enterococcus faecium strain NBRC 100486 (E. faecium) isolated from Feta cheese sample against several antibiotics and bacterial pathogens.

Materials and Methods

Antibacterial susceptibility test, and Agar well-diffusion test were conducted on LAB isolates.

Results

L. fermentum and E. faecium displayed sensitivity to two types of antibiotics (imipenem and piperacillin). E. faecium BLIS showed the greatest effect on pathogenic bacteria, especially E. coli with an inhibition zone 1.5±0.14 cm.

Conclusion

Bacteriocins produced by the four LAB isolates could effectively inhibit the growth of pathogen bacteria.