Antagonistic Efficacy of Lactic Acid Bacteria against the Human and Fish-borne Microbiota of Fresh Indian Mackerel Fish Chunks

Various strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) namely Lactobacillus acidophilus NCIM 2287,
Lactobacillus plantarum NCIM 2085, Lactobacillus helveticus NCIM 2126 and Lactococcus lactis
NCIM 2114 were procured from the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune, India. These LAB
cells were individually (107cfu/ml) sprayed using a sterile syringe on the dressed fresh mackerel fish
chunks and incubated at 37°C for 2 days. The growth pattern of each LAB and their antagonism
against fish-borne spoilage bacteria namely, specific spoilage bacteria, halophilic bacteria, coliforms,
lipolytic, proteolytic bacteria and total plate count were estimated for three days. Pathogenic
Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited by Lb. acidophilus on the second day with 4.30 log difference as
compared to control. The growth of specific spoilage bacteria was decreased by Lb. plantarum spray
on the first day by 1.0 log difference. Lb. helveticus inhibited S. aureus on the third day by 3.5 log
difference. Out of the four LABs tried, Lb. helveticus showed the best inhibitory effect against the fishborne
bacteria. All three LABs exhibited inhibition against the fish-borne spoilage bacteria, they may
thus be potentially used as bio-preservative bacteria to preserve the whole fish meat or minced meat
products etc. for a shorter duration.