Enhanced Production, Purification, and Partial Characterization of Lacticin BH5, a Kimchi Bacteriocin Produced by Lactococcus lactis BH5

Strain BH5 was isolated from naturally fermented Kimchi and identified as a bacteriocin producer, which has bactericidal activity against Micrococcus flavus ATCC 10240. Strain BH5 was identified tentatively as Lactococcus lactis by the API test and some characteristics. Lactococcus lactis BH5 showed a broad spectrum of activity against most of the non-pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms tested by the modified deferred method. The activity of lacticin BH5, named tentatively as the bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis BH5, was detected at the mid-log growth phase, reached its maximum during the early stationary phase, and decreased after the late stationary phase. Lacticin BH5 also showed a relatively broad spectrum of activity against non-pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms as tested by the spot-on-lawn method. Its antimicrobial activity on sensitive indicator cells was completely disappeared by protease XIV or ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin. The inhibitory activities of lacticin BH5 were detected during treatments up to 100$^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. Lacticin BH5 was very stable over a pH range of 2.0 to 9.0 and was stable with all the organic solvents examined. The cell concentration and bacteriocin production in strain BH5 were maximum when grown at 30$^{\circ}C$ in a modified MRS medium supplemented with 0.5% tryptone, 1.0% yeast extract, and 0.5% beef extract as nitrogen sources. It demonstrated a typical bactericidal mode of inhibition against Micrococcus flavus ATCC 10240. Lacticin BH5 was purified through ammonium sulfate precipitation, ethanol precipitation, and CM-Sepharose column chromatography. The apparent molecular mass of lacticin BH5 was estimated to be in the region of 3.7 kDa, by the direct detection of bactericidal activity after SDS-PAGE. Mutant strain NO141 which was isolated by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis produced about 4 fold more bacteriocin than the wild type.