Potential Function of a Novel Protective Culture Enterococcus faecium-MC13 Isolated From the Gut of Mughil cephalus: Safety Assessment and its Custom as Biopreservative

The effects of protective culture Enterococcus faecium MC-13 on the shelf life of beheaded, scaled and gutted oil sardines (Sardinella longiceps) and tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) during refrigerated storage were examined. The control and the treated samples were analyzed periodically for chemical (PV, TVB-N), microbiological (total viable count), and sensory characteristics. The in vivo safety following oral administration to wistar rats was investigated before its usage as a biopreservative. By the end of the experiment, the lowest total volatile base microbial load was observed in E. faecium inoculated seafood samples and the highest in controls. Addition of protective culture to the artificially contaminated food sample in the assayed storage condition inhibited Listeria monocytogenes by 1.3 and 1.17 log CFU/g in Penaeus monodon and Sardinella longiceps, respectively. Our preliminary results validate the feasibility of using Enterococcus faecium as a possible candidate for use as a starter culture in increasing the quality and nutritive value in seafood.