ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM STRAINS ISOLATED FROM BULGARIAN GREEN CHEESE
EMANUELA LUKACH1, DESSISLAVA DIMITROVA2, TEODORA IVANOVA2,
YULIA BOSSEVA2, ROSITSA TROPCHEVA1*
1Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 8, Dragan Tsankov Blvd., 1164, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
*Corresponding author: tropcheva12@mail.bg
Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum, antibacterial activity, Bulgarian Green cheese
Abstract: Today’s consumers pay more attention to their health and the increasing interest in probiotics and functional foods leads to their global popularization. Lactic acid bacteria have a wide application in the food industry. They play an important role in food quality and bio-preservation processes. Searching for foods with high nutritional value and functional properties is a factor for promotion of the traditional fermented products.
The object of this study is a traditional Bulgarian Green Cheese, which is made from sheep milk and is characterized with different technique of production, unlike other similar products. The Green Cheese has specific green color due to the presence of moulds on the cheese’s crust and its unique flavor and taste are a result of the properties of lactic acid microbiota and its potential beneficial effects.
The isolated six strains were identified as representatives of the genera Lactobacillus after an examination of their morphological and biochemical profiles. For more precise identification more discriminative methods as 16S rRNA sequence analysis were used and the isolates were determined as representatives of the species Lactobacillus plantarum. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the lactobacilli was estimated. Isolated strains possess a broad spectrum of activity against food-borne bacterial pathogens.
The presence of lactobacilli in the Green cheese adds value to the product’s functional qualities. The broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity of the isolated lactic acid bacteria is a promising advantage, suggesting their potential applications in different food technologies as a bio-preservative agent.