Fermentative Production, Purification and Characterization of Nisin

Abstract

Bacteriocins are bactericidal or bacteriostatic in action and active against closely related species. Nisin is the bacteriocin produced by the lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Nisin is a small (3353 Da), cationic, hydrophobic, and 34-amino acid peptide. It is used in products such as pasteurized processed cheese, salad dressing, and liquid whole eggs to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive microorganisms including Listeria monocytogenes. The objective of the present work was to study production, purification and characterization of nisin. The production of nisin was carried out using Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis MTCC 440 by one-factor-at-a-time method and statistical design (Orthogonal array). Purification was carried out using ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by hydrophobic interaction and gel chromatography. Characterization was done for pH and temperature stability. The activity of nisin after one factor at a time optimization was found to be 5120 AU/ml. The activity of the nisin increased to 6800 AU/ml after optimization by Orthogonal Array design. Ammonium sulphate precipitation gives good yield of nisin with 60 to 80% saturation with 2.52 fold purity. The overall purification by hydrophobic interaction and gel filtration chromatography was 10.87 fold with 50.84% yield and 8.8 fold with 49.65% yield as compared to crude broth respectively.