Characterization of functional properties of Enterococcus spp. isolated from Turkish white cheese

Enterococcus species was isolated from Turkish white cheese and genotypic characterization of these isolates revealed the presence of 12 distinct strains belonging to 5 different species: Enterococcus faecium, E. faecalis, E. durans, E. gallinarum and E. italicus. All strains showed good survival ability under bile salt conditions. The antibiotic resistance of these strains was low but two strains showed high levels of resistance including resistance to vancomycin. PCR detection of virulence determinant in these isolates revealed that cheese isolate enterococci contained virulence genes common in gut and food originated enterococci and importantly two strains harboured cylB gene related to cytolysin metabolism. No complete hemolytic activity was observed for Enterococcus strains but partial hemolytic activity was observed 8 out of 12 strains. Additionally, all strains showed important levels of antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens and PCR screening of genes encoding enterocin A and B indicated the presence of enterocin B gene in all tested strains. The antimicrobial activities of the tested strains were lost after proteolytic enzyme treatments but no alteration was observed at different pHs and after heat treatments. In summary, this study reflected characteristics of Enterococcus strains presented in Turkish white cheese in terms of functional and safety perspectives.