Identification and characterization of plantaricin Q7, a novel plantaricin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum Q7

As consumer trends shift toward natural preservatives, it is becoming increasingly necessary to identify antimicrobials that can be used in food products to decrease proliferation of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. The data presented identifies a novel plantaricin Q7. Lactic acid bacteria strains were isolated from food and of the 118 colonies that were screened, only one produced an inhibitory effect against Pseudomonas fluorescens AS 1.1802. Molecular and biochemical methods indicated this bacterium was Lactobacillus plantarum. Plantaricin Q7 was purified by absorption-desorption, CM-Fast Flow and Superdex Peptide 10/300 GL. Plantaricin Q7 became inactive following treatment with proteolytic enzyme, including proteinase K, pepsin, trypsin, papain, and pronase E. The plantaricin Q7 remained active following incubation at 121 °C for 20 min and following incubation pH ranging from 3.0 to 12.0 for 30 min. Pseudomonas putida AS1.1819, Pseudomonas aeruginosa CICC21636, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19111, Escherichia coli ATCC25922, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC14028, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri ATCC12022 and Shigella sonnei ATCC25931 were all sensitive to plantaricin Q7. The data presented suggests plantaricin Q7 can be applied to food products to inhibit the growth of numerous food spoilage bacteria and pathogens.