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The present study aims to explore the dual broad‐spectrum antibacterial and antifungal potentials of Pediococcus acidilactici LAB001 (GenBank Ac. No.: FJ457014) against some food spoilage bacteria and fungi. The strain produced the highest amount of bacteriocin in a low‐cost TGE + Tween 80 + Buffer medium within 24 hr fermentation at 30°C. The bacteriocin causes lethality to spoilage bacteria with the loss of essential solute like K+. The sublethal injury by EDTA‐bacteriocin (20 mM EDTA with 2,000 AU/ml) treatment for 1 hr caused resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium MTCC98 strains to bacteriocin sensitive strains. The strain also had broad‐spectrum inhibitory efficacy against the food spoilage and toxigenic fungal pathogens of fresh and processed foods. Therefore, selective characterization and mass‐scale production of these antimicrobial compounds could substitute conventional synthetic food preservatives in many fresh and fermented food products to extend their shelf life. Practical applications: The use of lactic acid bacteria for food fermentation and preservation has a long‐standing scientific validation. However, their uses greatly rely on the degree of fermenting and preservation aptitudes of the strains. This needs to search and explore new strains of LAB for these beneficial attributes. Pediococcus spp. are such an important group of LAB species that have multifaceted uses in food and feed fermentation and industrial exploitation. The present study reports on the dual broad‐spectrum efficacy of P. acidilactici LAB001 (GenBank Ac. No.: FJ457014) against the food spoilage and toxigenic bacterial and fungal strains through bacteriocin and antifungal compound production. The large‐scale production and application of the antimicrobial compounds from this strain can be used in food and feed preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The article presents a study which examined the antioxidant properties, mycochemial, and phenolic profiling of Termitomyces clypeatus, and edible mushroom from the lateritic region of West Bengal, India. more...

Background Pediococcus acidilactici LAB 5 produces an antifungal compound under in vitro conditions in an inducer-dependent manner. The main objective of the present study was to partially characterise this antifungal compound by UV-visible, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and GC/ MS analyses and also to assess its potentiality against a number of food spoilage, plant-pathogenic and human-pathogenic fungal species. Results The strain produced a broad-spectrum antifungal compound(s) that was induced by certain constituent factors of MRS and malt extract media. The production was higher in solid culture than in broth culture. The product was found to be a mixture of lactic acid and a compound of molecular mass 83. The minimum inhibitory concentrations ( MIC90, 1.32-2.86 g L−1) of the active extract were much lower than those of sodium benzoate and calcium propionate. Scanning electron micrographs proved its drastic action on the development of conidial structures. Conclusion The chemical analysis indicated a novel compound with fungicidal activity. This compound could be used in fermented foods and feeds to extend their shelf life and also in agricultural crop plants against certain fungal pathogens. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The article presents a study which investigates the efficacy of the Adiantum species or maidenhair ferns to treat various ailments. According to some studies covering the phytochemistry and biological activities of the plants, it is mainly used as treatment for blood diseases, epileptic fits, fever, and other illnesses. To support such claims, the plant's petrol, benzene and ethylacetate extracts have been concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain solid mass and to test for their antibacterial activity. A graphical representation for the results of the investigation is provided. more...

The physiological role of C-reactive protein (CRP), the classical acute-phase protein, is not well documented, despite many reports on biological effects of CRP in vitro and in model systems in vivo. It has been suggested that CRP protects mice against lethal toxicity of bacterial infections by implementing immunological responses. In Achatina fulica CRP is a constitutive multifunctional protein in haemolymph and considered responsible for their survival in the environment for millions of years. The efficacy of Achatina CRP (ACRP) was tested against both Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis infections in mice where endogenous CRP level is negligible even after inflammatory stimulus. Further, growth curves of the bacteria revealed that ACRP (50 microg/mL) is bacteriostatic against gram negative salmonellae and bactericidal against gram positive bacilli. ACRP induced energy crises in bacterial cells, inhibited key carbohydrate metabolic enzymes such as phosphofructokinase in glycolysis, isocitrate dehydrogenase in TCA cycle, isocitrate lyase in glyoxylate cycle and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in gluconeogenesis. ACRP disturbed the homeostasis of cellular redox potential as well as reduced glutathione status, which is accompanied by an enhanced rate of lipid peroxidation. Annexin V-Cy3/CFDA dual staining clearly showed ACRP induced apoptosis-like death in bacterial cell population. Moreover, immunoblot analyses also indicated apoptosis-like death in ACRP treated bacterial cells, where activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP) and caspase-3 was noteworthy. It is concluded that metabolic impairment by ACRP in bacterial cells is primarily due to generation of reactive oxygen species and ACRP induced anti-bacterial effect is mediated by metabolic impairment leading to apoptosis-like death in bacterial cells. more...

A strain of Pediococcus acidilactici LAB 5 was isolated from vacuum-packed fermented meat product, in order to obtain a novel bacteriocin from food-grade organisms. Optimized culture conditions for bacteriocin production in different media (viz., MRS, TGE, TGE + buffer, TGE + Tween 80, and TGE + Tween 80 + buffer) and at different temperatures and pH conditions were reported. TGE + Tween 80 + buffer medium was found to be most effective for bacteriocin production (about 2400 AU/ml) by this strain, when incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Bacteriocin, partially purified by adsorption-desorption method showed molecular mass of 10.3 kDa and produced prominent inhibition zone in activity gel. It showed significant storage stability both at high as well as in low temperatures for up to 6 months and retained its activity in a number of organic solvents, except in 2-mercaptoethanol. The treatment with amylase and lysozyme did not change its activity, but it lost its activity on proteinase K treatment. Antibacterial efficacy of bacteriocin was proved against some food spoilage and human pathogenic bacteria like Enterococcus, Leuconostoc, Listeria, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. more...