Potential of selected lactic acid bacteria to produce food compatible antifungal metabolites

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of lactic acid bacteria to inhibit the outgrowth of some common food-spoiling fungi. Culture supernatants of 17 lactic acid bacterial. strains as well as of three commercial. probiotic cultures were evaluated for antifungal. activity using an agar-diffusion method. The method parameters were chosen in order to reveal compounds for potential use in food (bio) preservation. Thirteen strains showed antifungal. activity of which five strains were very promising: Lactobacillus acidophilus LMG 9433, L. amylovorus DSM 20532, L. brevis LMG 6906, L. coryniformis subsp. coryniformis LMG 9196 and L. plantarum LMG 6907. Four of these five strains were further examined; it was found that the produced antifungal. metabolites were pH-dependent. The exact chemical. nature of these substances has not been revealed yet. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.