Exploring the bioactive potential of Enterococcus mundtii TW278: Synthesis and utilization of biomolecules in yogurt production

Abstract

Currently, there is a high demand for fresh, minimally processed foods. Therefore, the search for natural compounds that can be used to increase the quality and shelf life of food, as well as to control or eliminate the development of pathogens has been increasing. The general objective was to determine the simultaneous production, at a controlled pH 6, of bacteriocin and bioemulsifier by the Enterococcus mundtii Tw278 strain and evaluate the conservation capacity in a food model. The pH control did not affect the production of the compounds when the optimal production media were used (LAPTg for bacteriocin and LAPLW for bioemulsifier), respectively. The values obtained for bacteriocin were 819,200 AU/mL at 9 h in the batch, while this value was obtained at 12 h in the reactor. The highest emulsification index (E24) was 60.97 at 24 h in the batch, while in the reactor, it was 54.3 at 12 h. The bioemulsifier produced would be a glyprotein, according to FTIR analysis, with the capacity to form polydisperse oil-in-water emulsions with particles with an average diameter of 50 μm. Finally, it was found that E. mundtii Tw278 strain, as well as its antilisteria extract, were able to control and reduce the initial population of 3.4 log CFU/mL of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A to undetectable values in a yogurt model, with production at 42 °C for 8 h and storage at 4 °C for 15 days and bacteriocinogenic strain and its extract did not alter the physicochemical properties inherent to yogurt.