Biopreservation of refrigerated and vacuum-packed Dicentrarchus labrax by lactic acid bacteria.

Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were selected from 100 LAB isolated from various sea products to examine their use in Dicentrarchus labrax preservation. The isolates, tentatively named strain nr 3 and 7, were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum and L. pentosus, respectively. They showed antagonistic activity against psychrotroph, pathogenic, and coliform bacteria. The antagonistic activity of strain 3 was suggested to be by bacteriocins since activity was abolished by protease treatment, while that of strain 7 was due to the effect of pH decrease caused by the produced organic acids. Their use prevented total volatile basic nitrogen contents (TVB-N) and trimethylamine (TMA) to some extent, suggesting that inoculation could extend the period of storage.