COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE BACTEROCIN PRODUCING CHARACTERISTICS OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA FROM SELECTED TRADITIONAL FERMENTED FOODS

Lactic acid bacteria from freshly prepare ‘Ogi’ and ‘Kunun’ were isolated by plating on nutrient agar modified with glacial acetic acid. The identification of the isolates was carried out using biochemical methods. The identified isolates (Lactobacillus planetarium, Lactobacillus sake, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentum) were screened for their ability to produce bacterocin against food borne pathogens (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aures) using the pour plate method. The isolated organisms inhibited different food borne pathogens with different zones of inhibition. The highest was exhibited by Lactobacillus fermentum on Escherichia coli (38mm) while the least was by Lactobacillus acidophilus on Staphylococcus aures (18mm). Fresh Ogi constituted a better source of lactic acid bacteria than that of Kunun. The antimicrobial activity of the four LAB strains was inactivated by the addition of proteinase K, thus confirming the proteinaceous nature of the inhibition. The bacterocin of lactic acid bacteria have potential application for assessing and improving food quality, and safet