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. 2024 Dec 19;12(12):2636.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12122636.

Antibiotic Susceptibility and Technological Properties of Leuconostoc citreum for Selecting Starter Candidates

Sumin Lee  1 , Sojeong Heo  1 , Gawon Lee  1 , Yura Moon  1 , Minkyeong Kim  1 , Mi-Sun Kwak  2 , Do-Won Jeong  1
Affiliations

Antibiotic Susceptibility and Technological Properties of Leuconostoc citreum for Selecting Starter Candidates

Sumin Lee et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Antibiotic susceptibilities, hemolytic activities, and technological properties of 46 Leuconostoc citreum isolates from kimchi were evaluated to select starter candidates. All strains were susceptible to clindamycin and erythromycin, while some exhibited resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, streptomycin, and tetracycline; all were resistant to kanamycin based on the EFSA breakpoint values for Leuconostoc species. PCR analysis did not detect resistance genes for these six antibiotics in any strain. None of the strains demonstrated clear α- or β-hemolytic activity. All strains thrived in a medium supplemented with 6% NaCl, displaying protease activity and acid in media containing 6% and 3% NaCl, respectively. Consequently, five strains, AK5T17, AK5T19, AK10M04, DMLC16, and YK10T20, were identified as starter candidates, with L. citreum strain DMLC16 emerging as the top choice due to its elevated protease and acid production capacities. These findings support the safe application of L. citreum strain DMLC16 as a starter candidate in fermented food production.

Keywords: Leuconostoc citreum; antibiotic susceptibility; enzyme; hemolysis; starter.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Mi-Sun Kwak is employed by the company KookminBio Cooperation. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Minimum inhibitory concentration distributions for eight antibiotics and 46 Leuconostoc citreum strains isolated from kimchi, determined by the broth microdilution method. The vertical red dotted line represents the breakpoint for Leuconostoc spp., as established by EFSA [23].
Figure 2
Figure 2
α-Hemolytic activity and β-hemolytic activity of five Leuconostoc citreum strains showing sensitivity to seven antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus strains USA300-p23 and RN4220 were used as positive and negative controls, respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Salt tolerance and enzymatic activities of Leuconostoc citreum DMLC16. Acid and protease activities, along with salt tolerance, were assessed on TSA and MRS agar containing 0.5%, 3%, and 6% NaCl (w/v) as final concentrations.
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