Development of Antimicrobial Packaging Materials for Food Preservation Using Bacteriocin from Lactobacillus casei

Bacteriocins are proteinaceous toxin produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacteria. Among lactic acid bacteria (LAB), bacteriocins are produced by Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, etc. In recent years, bacteriocin-producing LAB have attracted significant attention because of their generally recognized as safe status and potential use as safe additives for food preservation. Incorporation of bacteriocins into packaging films to control food spoilage and pathogenic organisms has been an area of active research for last decade. Antimicrobial packaging film prevents microbial growth on food surface by direct contact of the package with the surface of food. The objectives of this study were to isolate bacteriocin-producing LAB from Yakult^®, develop antimicrobial packaging system and evaluate their antimicrobial effects on selected spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. For this reason, the antimicrobial packaging film was made by using the bacteriocin by Lactobacillus casei and coating it or adsorbing it onto the surface of different packaging materials. The antimicrobial activity of the coated films was tested by agar diffusion assay against the test organisms Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results obtained proved that bacteriocins can be used to inhibit both the test organisms. Thus antimicrobial packaging systems can be developed using bacteriocins thereby reducing the risk of pathogen development, as well as extending the shelf life of foods.