Characterization of a bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis N1-33 and its application as a food preservative.

A bacteriocin-producing strain, N1-33, isolated from fermented bamboo shoot was identified as Enterococcus faecalis. The pH-adjusted culture supernatant of this strain consisted of several peptides with bacteriocin activity, and the supernatant inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. The major peptide with bacteriocin activity was purified, and the first 39 amino acid residues of the bacteriocin were found to be identical to enterocin MR10A produced by E. faecalis MRR10-3. Addition of the pH-adjusted and concentrated culture supernatant of strain N1-33 caused a marked reduction in the growth of Bacillus cereus in custard cream and L. monocytogenes in pickled cucumber. These results suggest the potential use of the bacteriocin produced by strain N1-33 in food biopreservation.