In situ control of food spoilage fungus using Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 291.

A challenge for food industry today is to produce minimally processed food, without use of chemical preservatives and little compromise on nutritional status. Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 291 can be directly added to food where it enhances shelf life by competing with other microflora (both bacterial and fungal) for food and also by production of antimicrobial metabolites as bacteriocins. Comprehensive studies have demonstrated the in vitro activity of bacteriocins. However their role in preventing fresh food spoilage needs more elucidation. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the whole cells of this organism as biopreservative agent against fungi. Four most commonly occurring spoilage fungi were isolated and were identified as Fusarium, Alternaria, Penicillium and Aspergillus. Growth of all of them was inhibited in in vitro studies, (approximately 33-43% decrease in mycelial dry weight basis between test and control). In situ biopreservation of Indian cheese and raw poultry meat was attempted and the colony count of Alternaria was significantly (p < 0.05, Bonferroni Holm) reduced in presence of L. acidophilus. Dip and Keep approach of preservation for Mangifera and Momordica were carried out in which microbial spoilage was not observed up to 6 days.