The demand for “preservative-free” food products is rising, and biopreservation seems to be a potential alternative to replace or reduce the use of chemical preservatives. This study’s objective was to assess the antifungal activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (n = 98) and the efficacy and applicability of the chosen bioprotective cultures against fungal spoilers in dairy products. First, 14 strains of antifungal strains were preliminarily screened by in vitro tests against Pichia pastoris D3, Aspergillus niger D1, Geotrichum candidum N1, Kluyveromyces marxianus W1, and Penicillium chrysogenum B1 and validated by challenge tests in yogurts, indicating that the fungal-inhibiting activity of LAB was species specific and yogurts fermented with antifungal LAB cultures were more effective in extending the shelf life. Secondly, the chosen 14 LAB strains were identified by the 16SrDNA sequence analysis and carbohydrate fermentation test. The results were as follows: 9 strains were Lactobacillus plantarum , 3 were Lactobacillus paracasei , 1 was Enterococus faecium , and 1 was Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Among them, active L. plantarum N7 was the chosen and studied factor that affects the antifungal activity using the response surface methodology (RSM). Finally, in situ tests were conducted to validate the activity of L. plantarum N7 in actual dairy products (whey beverage). Physicochemical and microbial indices of whey beverage during storage period exhibited that antifungal L. plantarum N7 could slow the fungal growth and be candidates of interest for industrial applications.
Antifungal activity of lactobacilli isolated from Armenian dairy products: an effective strain and its probable nature
