Determination of antagonistic starter cultures for pickle and olive fermentation processes

Abstract

In the present study, the main purpose was the selection of antagonistic starter cultures for pickle and olive fermentation processes. The chemical and microbiological properties of fermented 70 pickle and 16 olive samples collected from the province of the west part of Turkey were analysed. Subsequently, lactic acid bacteria strains producing bacteriocin-like metabolites were isolated and identified. From 86 samples, 16 isolates were chosen, depending on their partial antimicrobial activity against at least one selected indicator. 13 out of this 16 isolates were identified as <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> whereas 3 of them proved to be <i>Lactobacillus pentosus</i>. Moreover, all the relevant isolates were found to be potent acid producers. All these results obviously suggest that the isolated <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> 9 and 25 were appropriate for them to be proposed as starter cultures in fermented pickle and olive production.