A food-grade system for production of pediocin PA-1 in nisin-producing and non-nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis strains: application to inhibit Listeria growth in a cheese model system

Monitoring Growth Compatibility and Bacteriocin Gene Transcription of Adjunct and Starter Lactic Acid Bacterial Strains in Milk

ABSTRACT

When developing protective starter cultures for application in cheese technologies, monitoring growth interactions between starter and adjunct lactic acid bacterial (LAB) species and in situ expression of bacteriocin genes in the mixtures is crucial. This study first aimed to monitor the growth of mixed LAB strain populations during milk model fermentations by microbial counts and real-time quantitative PCR. The primary starter strains, Streptococcus thermophilus ST1 and costarter Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M78, served as the basic starter composite coinoculated in all milk treatments. Adjunct bacteriocinogenic Enterococcus faecium strains KE82 and GL31 and the ripening Lactiplantibacillus plantarum H25 strain were added separately to the starter composite, resulting in four LAB combination treatments. The second aim was to quantify gene transcripts of nisin and enterocins B and A synthesized by strains M78, KE82, and GL31, respectively, by reverse transcription-real-time quantitative PCR and to detect the in situ antilisterial effects of the cocultures. Adjunct LAB strains showed growth compatibility with the starter, since all of them exhibited 2- to 3-log-unit increases in their population levels compared to their initial inoculation levels, with ST1 prevailing in all treatments. KE82 grew more competitively than GL31, whereas cocultures with KE82 displayed the strongest in situ antilisterial activity. Nisin gene expression levels were higher at the exponential phase of microbial growth in all treatments. Finally, the expression levels of nisin and enterocin A and B genes were interrelated, indicating an antagonistic activity.

HIGHLIGHTS

Bryndza cheese of Slovak origin as potential resources of probiotic bacteria

Bryndza cheese includes several predominant lactic acid bacteria. The aim of our study was the antagonistic effect of lactic acid bacteria supernatant isolated from ewes´ cheese bryndza against ten Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Isolated strains of bacteria were obtained from bryndza which were produced in five different regions of Slovakia. Isolated strains of lactic acid bacteria were identified with mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper. A total of one hundred and thirty lactic bacteria include Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus hirae, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus harbinensis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei, Lactobacillus paraplantarum, Lactobacillus suebicus, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis, and Pediococcus acidilactici were tested in this study against Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli CCM 3988, Klebsiella pneumoniae CCM 2318, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica CCM 3807, Shigella sonnei CCM 1373, Yersinia enterocolitica CCM 5671 and Gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus thuringiensis CCM 19, Enterococcus faecalis CCM 4224, Listeria monocytogenes CCM 4699, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus CCM 2461, Streptococcus pneumonia CCM 4501 with agar diffusion method. Lactic acid bacteria showed activity 92% against Yersinia enterocolitica, 91% against Klebsiella pneumoniae, 88% against Escherichia coli, 84% against Listeria monocytogenes. The most effective bacteria against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested was Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei.

A Multibacteriocin Cheese Starter System, Comprising Nisin and Lacticin 3147 in Lactococcus lactis, in Combination with Plantaricin from Lactobacillus plantarum

Functional starter cultures demonstrating superior technological and food safety properties are advantageous to the food fermentation industry. We evaluated the efficacies of single- and double-bacteriocin-producing starters of Lactococcus lactis capable of producing the class I bacteriocins nisin A and/or lacticin 3147 in terms of starter performance. Single producers were generated by mobilizing the conjugative bacteriophage resistance plasmid pMRC01, carrying lacticin genetic determinants, or the conjugative transposon Tn5276, carrying nisin genetic determinants, to the commercial starter L. lactis CSK2775. The effect of bacteriocin coproduction was examined by superimposing pMRC01 into the newly constructed nisin transconjugant. Transconjugants were improved with regard to antimicrobial activity and bacteriophage insensitivity compared to the recipient strain, and the double producer was immune to both bacteriocins. Bacteriocin production in the starter was stable, although the recipient strain proved to be a more efficient acidifier than transconjugant derivatives. Overall, combinations of class I bacteriocins (the double producer or a combination of single producers) proved to be as effective as individual bacteriocins for controlling Listeria innocua growth in laboratory-scale cheeses. However, using the double producer in combination with the class II bacteriocin producer Lactobacillus plantarum or using the lacticin producer with the class II producer proved to be most effective for reducing bacterial load. As emergence of bacteriocin tolerance was reduced 10-fold in the presence of nisin and lacticin, we suggest that the double producer in conjunction with the class II producer could serve as a protective culture providing a food-grade, multihurdle approach to control pathogenic growth in a variety of industrial applications.IMPORTANCE We generated a suite of single- and double-bacteriocin-producing starter cultures capable of generating the class I bacteriocin lacticin 3147 or nisin or both bacteriocins simultaneously via conjugation. The transconjugants exhibited improved bacteriophage resistance and antimicrobial activity. The single producers proved to be as effective as the double-bacteriocin producer at reducing Listeria numbers in laboratory-scale cheese. However, combining the double producer or the lacticin-producing starter with a class II bacteriocin producer, Lactobacillus plantarum LMG P-26358, proved to be most effective at reducing Listeria numbers and was significantly better than a combination of the three bacteriocin-producing strains, as the double producer is not inhibited by either of the class I bacteriocins. Since the simultaneous use of lacticin and nisin should reduce the emergence of bacteriocin-tolerant derivatives, this study suggests that a protective starter system produced by bacteriocin stacking is a worthwhile multihurdle approach for food safety applications.

A review of food-grade vectors in lactic acid bacteria: from the laboratory to their application

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have a long history of use in fermented foods and as probiotics. Genetic manipulation of these microorganisms has great potential for new applications in food safety, as well as in the development of improved food products and in health. While genetic engineering of LAB could have a major positive impact on the food and pharmaceutical industries, progress could be prevented by legal issues related to the controversy surrounding this technology. The safe use of genetically modified LAB requires the development of food-grade cloning systems containing only the DNA from homologous hosts or generally considered as safe organisms, and not dependent antibiotic markers. The rationale for the development of cloning vectors derived from cryptic LAB plasmids is the need for new genetic engineering tools, therefore a vision from cryptic plasmids to applications in food-grade vectors for LAB plasmids is shown in this review. Replicative and integrative vectors for the construction of food-grade vectors, and the relationship between resistance mechanism and expression systems, will be treated in depth in this paper. Finally, we will discuss the limited use of these vectors, and the problems arising from their use.

Recombinant pediocin in Lactococcus lactis: increased production by propeptide fusion and improved potency by co-production with PedC

We describe the impact of two propeptides and PedC on the production yield and the potency of recombinant pediocins produced in Lactococcus lactis. On the one hand, the sequences encoding the propeptides SD or LEISSTCDA were inserted between the sequence encoding the signal peptide of Usp45 and the structural gene of the mature pediocin PA‐1. On the other hand, the putative thiol‐disulfide oxidoreductase PedC was coexpressed with pediocin. The concentration of recombinant pediocins produced in supernatants was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The potency of recombinant pediocins was investigated by measuring the minimal inhibitory concentration by agar well diffusion assay. The results show that propeptides SD or LEISSTCDA lead to an improved secretion of recombinant pediocins with apparently no effect on the antibacterial potency and that PedC increases the potency of recombinant pediocin. To our knowledge, this study reveals for the first time that pediocin tolerates fusions at the N‐terminal end. Furthermore, it reveals that only expressing the pediocin structural gene in a heterologous host is not sufficient to get an optimal potency and requires the accessory protein PedC. In addition, it can be speculated that PedC catalyses the correct formation of disulfide bonds in pediocin.

Antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria in dairy products and gut: effect on pathogens

The food industry seeks alternatives to satisfy consumer demands of safe foods with a long shelf-life able to maintain the nutritional and organoleptic quality. The application of antimicrobial compounds-producing protective cultures may provide an additional parameter of processing in order to improve the safety and ensure food quality, keeping or enhancing its sensorial characteristics. In addition, strong evidences suggest that certain probiotic strains can confer resistance against infection with enteric pathogens. Several mechanisms have been proposed to support this phenomenon, including antimicrobial compounds secreted by the probiotics, competitive exclusion, or stimulation of the immune system. Recent research has increasingly demonstrated the role of antimicrobial compounds as protective mechanism against intestinal pathogens and therefore certain strains could have an effect on both the food and the gut. In this aspect, the effects of the combination of different strains keep unknown. The development of multistrain probiotic dairy products with good technological properties and with improved characteristics to those shown by the individual strains, able to act not only as protective cultures in foods, but also as probiotics able to exert a protective action against infections, has gained increased interest.

Development of a potential probiotic fresh cheese using two Lactobacillus salivarius strains isolated from human milk

Cheeses have been proposed as a good alternative to other fermented milk products for the delivery of probiotic bacteria to the consumer. The objective of this study was to assess the survival of two Lactobacillus salivarius strains (CECT5713 and PS2) isolated from human milk during production and storage of fresh cheese for 28 days at 4°C. The effect of such strains on the volatile compounds profile, texture, and other sensorial properties, including an overall consumer acceptance, was also investigated. Both L. salivarius strains remained viable in the cheeses throughout the storage period and a significant reduction in their viable counts was only observed after 21 days. Globally, the addition of the L. salivarius strains did not change significantly neither the chemical composition of the cheese nor texture parameters after the storage period, although cheeses manufactured with L. salivarius CECT5713 presented significantly higher values of hardness. A total of 59 volatile compounds were identified in the headspace of experimental cheeses, and some L. salivarius-associated differences could be identified. All cheeses presented good results of acceptance after the sensory evaluation. Consequently, our results indicated that fresh cheese can be a good vehicle for the two L. salivarius strains analyzed in this study.

Strategies to improve the bacteriocin protection provided by lactic acid bacteria

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce a wide variety of antimicrobial peptides (bacteriocins) which contribute to the safety and preservation of fermented foods. This review discusses strategies that have been or could be employed to further enhance the commercial application of bacteriocins and/or bacteriocin-producing LAB for food use.

Development of Class IIa Bacteriocins as Therapeutic Agents

Class IIa bacteriocins have been primarily explored as natural food preservatives, but there is much interest in exploring the application of these peptides as therapeutic antimicrobial agents. Bacteriocins of this class possess antimicrobial activity against several important human pathogens. Therefore, the therapeutic development of these bacteriocins will be reviewed. Biological and chemical modifications to both stabilize and increase the potency of bacteriocins are discussed, as well as the optimization of their production and purification. The suitability of bacteriocins as pharmaceuticals is explored through determinations of cytotoxicity, effects on the natural microbiota, and in vivo efficacy in mouse models. Recent results suggest that class IIa bacteriocins show promise as a class of therapeutic agents.

Microbial interactions in cheese: implications for cheese quality and safety

The cheese microbiota, whose community structure evolves through a succession of different microbial groups, plays a central role in cheese-making. The subtleties of cheese character, as well as cheese shelf-life and safety, are largely determined by the composition and evolution of this microbiota. Adjunct and surface-ripening cultures marketed today for smear cheeses are inadequate for adequately mimicking the real diversity encountered in cheese microbiota. The interactions between bacteria and fungi within these communities determine their structure and function. Yeasts play a key role in the establishment of ripening bacteria. The understanding of these interactions offers to enhance cheese flavour formation and to control and/or prevent the growth of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in cheese.