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Food-grade bacteria capable of producing bacteriocin with desirable preservation attributes have been isolated from traditional Indian fermented food dal vari, which has not been investigated so far. Among different isolates, Bacillus subtilis R75, isolated on MRS agar, exhibited antagonism against a wide range of foodborne pathogens that cause serious spoilage. Extracellularly produced bacteriocin was purified by single step gel exclusion column chromatography. The purity rate and molecular mass of 12 kDa of this compound were determined using SDS-PAGE. Activity units (AU) of bacteriocin were increased in each step of purification, reaching up to 5·10^6 AU/mL. The increase in the activity units directly affected the antimicrobial activity of purified bacteriocin, resulting in an increase up to 200, 333 and 175 % of the inhibition zones against indicator bacteria. Continuous decrease in the number of viable cells of microorganisms within 10 h after adding purified bacteriocin proved its bactericidal action. It withstood very high temperature, up to 121 °C, for 10 min, wider pH range, from 4.0 to 11.0, complete inactivation in the presence of proteolytic enzymes and storage stability up to 2.5 months.

The antimicrobial activity of partially purified bacteriocin produced during natural lactic acid fermentation of carrot, radish and cucumber was assessed and characterized. Out of ten strains, the isolated strain CA 44 of Lactobacillus genus from carrot fermentation produced bacteriocin with maximum antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, though it was more effective against E. coli than others. Bacteriocin was stable at up to 100 °C but its activity declined compared to that at 68 °C and was completely lost at 121 °C. The maximum antimicrobial activity was retained within the pH range of 4–5, but it was adversely affected by the addition of papain. Bacteriocin was also effective against B. cereus in different fruit products (pulp, juice and wine) indicating its potential application as a biopreservative in fruit products.