Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Assessment of potential probiotic properties and multiple bacteriocin encoding-genes of the technological performing strain Enterococcus faecium MMRA

3^rd International Conference and Exhibition on Food Processing & Technology

July 21-23, 2014 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, USA

Amel Rehaiem

Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

In the present study, Enterococcus faecium MMRA, a safety and technological performing strain, previously isolated from ?Rayeb? a well-known fermented dairy product of Tunisia, was evaluated for certain properties relevant to probiotic including acid and bile tolerance, gastrointestinal juice resistance and adhesive properties. Acidic pH (2.0-5.0) and bile salt concentrations of 0.3% were used as stress conditions. The adhesive properties were assessed by determination of bacterial hydrophobicity. The strain MMRA showed interesting features such as the absence of several virulence traits, susceptibility to vancomycin and other clinically relevant antibiotics, lack of haemolytic activity, high tolerance to gastrointestinal tract transit, an extremely high survival rates under stress caused by acidic pHs or bile salts, and a high adhesive potential linked to the elevated percentage of hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the genome of this strain was examined for the occurrence of known enterocin (Enterococcal bacteriocins) genes by means of specific PCR assays and this study revealed the genes coding for enterocins A, B, P and X. Although the joint production of these bacteriocins has not been verified, producers of multiple enterocins could have a great technological potential as protective and/or probiotic cultures in the food industry. The results suggested that E. faecium MMRA should be considered as a potential probiotic which meets the criteria to enhance healthy attributes of fermented dairy product besides both of hygienic and sensory aspects.

Biography :

Amel Rehaiem is a Tunisian young scientist born in Avignon (France) in 1978, she obtained a Biological Sciences Doctorate on Food Microbiology and Biochemistry Fields from the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, in the laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her main researches interest was about Lactic Acid Bacteria in foods systems, biological preservation and probiotic properties. Her PhD thesis research has been financially supported by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), Spain within the Inter-University Cooperation Program and Scientific Research (PCI-Mediterranean) between Spain and Tunisia (project A/5664/06). She was also the recipient of a MAEC-AECID fellowship (Spain). She was member of the Arab World Association of Young Scientists and work since 2009 as an Assistant Professor on the Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja (Tunisia) teaching Microbiology, Food Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology and supervising research programs of graduate students in Food Processing and Biotechnology