Application of Lytic Bacteriophages and Their Enzymes to Reduce Saprophytic Bacteria Isolated from Minimally Processed Plant-Based Food Products—In Vitro Studies
Dziyana Shymialevich,
Michał Wójcicki,
Artur Wardaszka,
Olga Świder,
Barbara Sokołowska,
Stanisław Błażejak
Affiliations
Dziyana Shymialevich
Culture Collection of Industrial Microorganisms—Microbiological Resources Center, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology—State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Michał Wójcicki
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology—State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Artur Wardaszka
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology—State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Olga Świder
Department of Food Safety and Chemical Analysis, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology—State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Barbara Sokołowska
Department of Microbiology, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology—State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Stanisław Błażejak
Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS–SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166 Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
The aim of this study was to isolate phage enzymes and apply them in vitro for eradication of the dominant saprophytic bacteria isolated from minimally processed food. Four bacteriophages—two Enterobacter-specific and two Serratia-specific, which produce lytic enzymes—were used in this research. Two methods of phage enzyme isolation were tested, namely precipitation with acetone and ultracentrifugation. It was found that the number of virions could be increased almost 100 times due to the extension of the cultivation time (72 h). The amplification of phage particles and lytic proteins was dependent on the time of cultivation. Considering the influence of isolated enzymes on the growth kinetics of bacterial hosts, proteins isolated with acetone after 72-hour phage propagation exhibited the highest inhibitory effect. The reduction of bacteria count was dependent on the concentration of enzymes in the lysates. The obtained results indicate that phages and their lytic enzymes could be used in further research aiming at the improvement of microbiological quality and safety of minimally processed food products.
