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

doi:10.3390/v15010009

Application of Lytic Bacteriophages and Their Enzymes to Reduce Saprophytic Bacteria Isolated from Minimally Processed Plant-Based Food Products-In Vitro Studies

Viruses. 2022 Dec 20;15(1):9. doi: 10.3390/v15010009.

Authors

Dziyana Shymialevich¹, Michał Wójcicki², Artur Wardaszka², Olga Świder³, Barbara Sokołowska⁴, Stanisław Błażejak⁵

Affiliations

¹ 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.
² 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.
³ 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.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Prof. Waclaw Dabrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology-State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland.
⁵ Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 166 Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: bacteriophages (phages); depolymerases; food biopreservation; lytic activity; phage enzymes; saprophytic bacteria.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Acetone
Bacteria
Bacterial Load
Bacteriophages*
Food Microbiology

Substances

Acetone

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, contract No. MNISW/2020/318/DIR in the “Innovation Incubator 4.0” program, grant No. 11/2021 “The use of lytic bacteriophages in the eradication of saprophytic bacteria in food processing plants”.