Identification and characterization of a novel circular bacteriocin, bacicyclicin XIN-1, from Bacillus sp. Xin1

Abstract

In recent years, bacteriocins have attracted considerable interest for use as natural food preservatives against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Recent studies have shown that the strains of Bacillus cereus group produce a range of highly diverse bacteriocins. In this study, we screened a large number of Bacillus cereus group strains and isolated one strain, Bacillus sp. Xin1, with antimicrobial activity against several food-borne pathogens. A novel circular bacteriocin, bacicyclicin XIN-1 (MW: 5848.1719 Da), was purified from the culture supernatant of Bacillus sp. Xin1. This bacteriocin exhibited high thermal stability, wide pH tolerance, and a wide range of antimicrobial activities against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, three important foodborne pathogens, as well as other pathogens. Bacicyclicin XIN-1 also inhibited the outgrowth of Bacillus cereus spores and did not show hemolysis activity. Bacicyclicin XIN-1 effectively inhibited or eliminated B. cereus ATTCC14579, S. aureus ATCC6538, and L. monocytogenes LM201 in skim milk. Our findings indicate that bacicyclicin XIN-1 has a remarkable potential for use as a natural food preservative in the food industry.