Antilisterial Effect of Bacteriocin SH01, Obtained from Enterococcus faecium SH01, in Ground Beef

From the previous study, Enterococcus faecium SH01 was isolated from mukeunji, an over-ripened kimchi, and it produced bacteriocin SH01. Bacteriocin SH01 showed an inhibitory effect against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111, a bacterial strain causing human listeriosis. Crude bacteriocin SH01 was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and its inhibitory activity at two concentrations (500 and 1,000 AU/g) against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111 was investigated in ground beef at increasing temperatures (5, 10, 15, and 20 degrees C) for 8 d. The number of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19111 significantly decreased (p<0.05) as the concentration of bacteriocin increased from 500 to 1,000 AU/g. Intrinsic crude protease activities in ground beef were examined and increased as the temperature increased. Experiments varying both the concentrations of added bacteriocin SH01 and temperature demonstrated a maximum inhibition (2.33 log reduction of bacteria) in samples containing 1,000 AU/g of bacteriocin SH01 incubated at 20 degrees C. When the crude bacteriocin SH01 solution (1,280 AU/mL) was incubated with crude protease solutions at different temperatures, its activity decreased by only half (640 AU/mL), as assessed in an agar well diffusion assay. The finding that the antilisterial activity of bacteriocin SH01 increased with temperature can be explained by the fact that higher temperatures increase bacterial membrane fluidity, thereby promoting the cellular penetration of bacteriocin SH01 into L. monocytogenes. Bacteriocin SH01 may be an excellent candidate as a biopreservative for controlling L. monocytogenes growth in ground beef.