FURTHER CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIOCINS PLANTARICIN-BN, BAVARICIN-MN AND PEDIOCIN-A

We report here several characteristics of bacteriocins which are inhibitory to Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes. Plantaricin BN produced by Lactobacillus plantarum BN, bavaricin MN produced by Lactobacillus bavaricus.MN, and pediocin A produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus 43200 all demonstrated a bactericidal mode of action and retained some activity after heating at 60-degrees-C for ten minutes or 100-degrees-C for 5 minutes. pH and temperature optima for production on solid media were pH 7.9 and 15-degrees-C for,plantaricin BN, pH 6.5 and 30-degrees-C for bavaricin MN, and pH 6.15-7.9 and 30-degrees-C for pediocin A. The molecular weight of plantaricin BN appeared greater than 10,000, that of bavaricin NN 22,600, and that of pediocin A 11,000. All of these bacteriocins were produced during the growth phase of the bacterial cultures.