Bacteriocin-producing Lactobacillus strains isolated from poto poto, a Congolese fermented maize product, and genetic fingerprinting of their plantaricin operons.

Thirty one bacteriocin-producing Lactobacillus isolates were identified among 135 lactobacilli isolated from the Congolese fermented maize product poto poto, during the preparation and from the finished product. Using species-specific PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, 28 and 3 isolates were identified as L. plantarum and L. fermentum, respectively. Cluster analysis of RAPD-PCR fingerprints revealed two main groups (G1 and G2) plus the L. fermentum isolate C4-13. Group G1 contained 23 isolates with a similarity coefficient > 74.5%, and could be divided in two subgroups (G1-1, G1-2) each with several branches, plus the L. plantarum isolate C11. Group G2 contained 8 isolates with a similarity coefficient > 86%, with two main branches. Using PCR amplification with specific primers, several genes of the plantaricin cluster found in L. plantarum C11 were identified in the isolates. The number of genes that were detected varied between the strains. The L. fermentum isolate EC11 also contained the plnDEFG genes. PCR amplification of DNA from isolates with primers directed to the upstream and downstream region of the plantaricin cluster generated an amplicon identical to that obtained with DNA from the control strain L. plantarum WCFS1. Amplification products from the positive strains were used for restriction analysis with HindIII, EcoRI and KpnI in separate reactions. Cluster analysis of restriction profiles revealed high similarities for EcoRI and HindII digest profiles, and an identical profile for all KpnI digests. The L. fermentum EC11 isolate clustered with L. plantarum strains in a group with a high correlation coefficient. The results suggest a low degree of diversity in the plantarincin gene cluster. However, other strains that tested positive for individual plantaricin genes may present great heterogeneity in the plantaricin operons. Because of their broad spectra of inhibition (including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis), isolates from the present study could be used to improve the safety and storage stability of poto poto.