Anti- Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Two Traditional Sicilian Cheeses.

is a pathogen frequently found in dairy products, and its growth is difficult to control. Bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS), produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), having proven anti- activity, could provide an innovative approach to control ; however, this application needs to be evaluated . In this study, twenty LAB strains isolated from different Sicilian dairy environments were tested for control of growth of in three different experimental trials. First, raw and UHT milk were inoculated with LAB strains alone, and LAB strains mixed with . Second, mini-cheeses containing LAB and/or were produced. Third, two traditional Sicilian cheeses inoculated with a multi-strain LAB mixture combined with were produced. The addition of BLIS produced by LAB to milk and in mini-cheese production was unable to inhibit the growth of . However, an anti- effect was observed in the cheeses, where, after 15 days of ripening, the cheeses with added LAB had fewer compared to the control cheeses with no added LAB, while in the cheeses, the multi-strain LAB mixture completely prevented the growth of .