Vf. Jeppesen et Hh. Huss, CHARACTERISTICS AND ANTAGONISTIC ACTIVITY OF LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM CHILLED FISH PRODUCTS, International journal of food microbiology, 18(4), 1993, pp. 305-320
In fish products, contrary to other foods, the commercial use of start
er cultures is relatively unexploited. In this study, 61 isolates of l
actic acid bacteria from lightly preserved, chilled fish products were
characterized with special emphasis on their antagonistic activity an
d their possible use as starter cultures. The strains were phenotypica
lly identified and characterized with regard to gas production, carboh
ydrate fermentations, production of off odours, H2O2-production, antag
onistic activity and growth at 2, 5 and 10-degrees-C. Growth at 10-deg
rees-C was detected for all strains within 4 days. At 5-degrees-C, 90%
of the isolates were growing within 3-9 days. At 2-degrees-C only 33%
of the strains were growing within 9 days. Fourteen strains were sele
cted for further testing of antagonistic activity against spoilage- an
d pathogenic bacteria at different pH in a disc assay. Two strains, a
Leuconostoc spp. (V 6) and a Lactobacillus plantarum (LKE 5), differed
from the other lactic acid bacteria by a very wide inhibitory spectru
m for V 6 and by very distinct inhibition zones for LKE 5. The mechani
sms of their inhibitory effects are discussed.