Control of late blowing in cheese by adding lacticin 3147-producing Lactococcus lactis IFPL 3593 to the starter

Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria offer potential as tools for ensuring food safety and quality. Lacticin 3147 is a two-peptide lantibiotic previously shown to inhibit a broad range of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Lacticin 3147-producing Lactococcus lactis IFPL 3593 was investigated for its ability to inhibit the growth of clostridia as a means to prevent late blowing in cheese. L. lactis IFPL 3593 was shown to inhibit germination of clostridia spores and prevent late blowing in semi-hard cheeses, with a 5 log g(-1) reduction in the numbers of spores when compared to control cheeses. Furthermore, this bacteriocin-producing strain demonstrated considerable potential as a biopreservative agent against heterofermentative lactobacilli and their associated blowing defects. The use of this strain to prevent late blowing in cheese thereby represents a promising alternative to the addition of lysozyme particularly given the increasing concerns regarding the potential allergenicity of this additive. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.