Indigenous Curd as a Functional Food: A Source of Potential Pathogenic Bacterial Control

Background: Dahi is a functional food that is largely consumed in our community. The current study was designed to explore the efficacy of antibacterial agents that are present in the local indigenous curd of Lahore, Pakistan. Method: Dahi was collected from various areas in Lahore. Bacterial cultures were isolated from this local curd and identified using a molecular technique that used 16S rRNA gene primers in PCR and sequencing. The antibacterial assay was carried out using the agar well diffusion method. Out of all the characterized bacteria isolate P26 displayed the best results for the control of pathogenic bacteria. Bacteriocin from isolate P26 was partially purified and its antibacterial assay was performed against sixteen indicator organisms and kanamycin was used as a standard for this experiment. Characterization of bacteriocin was performed at various temperatures, pH, and treating with enzymes. Result: After the molecular characterization through 16S rRNA, Strain P26 was characterized as Bacillus vallismortis. A protease-sensitive antimicrobial substance was produced by Bacterial strain P26 (Bacillus vallismortis), isolated from local curd (Dahi). This isolate has a broad-spectrum inhibitory activity that can inhibit the growth of both food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. According to results It was clear that protease-sensitive antimicrobial substance produced from strain P26 is more effective as compared to the antibiotic kanamycin. Maximum activity was shown against Staphylococcus species, a pathogen that is a common cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. This substance was active at 100 degrees C for 30 minutes and pH (2-9). The activity was lost after treatment with proteases, so it is classified as bacteriocin. Conclusion: Bacteriocin P26 is a more effective antibacterial agent than kanamycin, and it can be produced cheaply using local cardkey.