Assessment of Beneficial Properties ofEnterococcusStrains

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of culture supernatants and cell extracts of 19 lactic acid bacteria isolated from meat and dairy products. GenBank BLAST analysis revealed that all the isolates belong to the genus Enterococcus. Three isolates were identified as E. hirae, one isolate as Enterococcus sp. and 15 as E. faecalis. Antimicrobial activity against the indicator microorganism (Listeria monocytogenes) was observed for nine culture supernatants and two cell extracts. All of the isolates showed antioxidant activity as determined by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) method with both types of extracts. When the antioxidant capacity was investigated using 2, 2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl method, it was observed that only culture supernatants showed antioxidant capacity. These findings have suggested that Enterococcus species may be considered among the more promising food components in term of preventing oxidative damage and inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms. Practical Applications The selected lactic acid bacteria with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity has several potential health or nutritional benefits possible for food industry. The study suggests that, on the basis of results, some Enterococcus species under study may be considered among the more promising food components in term of preventing oxidative damage and inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms. This result can be contributed for the use of these microorganisms in industry food and feed.