Lactobacilli and dairy propionibacterium with potential as biopreservatives against food fungi and yeast contamination.

Naturally fermented and raw foods contain a range of organisms that may have benefit as additives in some foods and food processing. In particular, potential anti-fungal properties of these organisms may be potentially utilised as natural alternatives to chemical additives used to delay and prevent spoilage by fungi and yeast. This study examined 12 novel bacteria previously isolated from food as possible biopreservatives. The bacteria from the lactobacilli and dairy propionibacterium groups were tested by agar overlay method for their ability to inhibit the growth of 10 fungi and one yeast commonly associated with food contamination. Eight among eleven tested lactic acid bacteria demonstrated broad spectrum of antifungal activity. Strong fungi inhibition was also demonstrated by the dairy propionibacterium, but efficacy was growth medium dependant. Only one fungi, Geotrichum candidum was highly resistant to the bacteria. Variation between the inhibition results for different bacteria identifies the importance of careful strain selection, and the benefits of strain combinations when selecting biopreservatives for foods.