Shweta Handa

In present study, Brevicin produced from Brevibacillus borstelensis AG1 isolated from Marcha - a natural herbal cake of North East India was used to enhance the shelf life and microbial safety of orange juice. Food borne pathogens viz. Listeria monocytogenes MTCC 839, Bacillus subtilis CRI and Clostridium perfringens MTCC 1739were inoculated at the amount of 8.16, 8.13 and 8.18 log CFU/ml, respectively in orange juice to study the preservative effect of bacteriocin against them as compared to chemical preservative – sodium benzoate and commercial biopreservative i.e. nisin. Viable cells were counted periodically and a consistent reduction in number of viable cells of each tested pathogen was observed. Brevicin when tested was found antagonistic to most challengeable and serious food borne pathogens to control in processed fruit/vegetables products. Brevicin was found active over a wide pH range i.e. 3.0 to 11.0 and thermostable upto 100oC. It showed better preservative potential by reducing the pathogenic load of indicators in orange juiceas compared to control having maximum spoilage proving its potential as a natural preservative to enhance microbial safety and shelf life of different food items.