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Antibacterial activity of antimicrobial peptide gcDefb1 against foodborne pathogenic bacteria and its application in pork storage

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Abstract

Pork and its products are preferably contaminated by bacteria; thus, it is essential to develop low-cost, high-efficiency and biologically safe preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria during storage. In the current study, grass carp β-defensin 1 (gcDefb1) was produced and purified from Pichia pastoris through the heterologous expression method. The in vitro antimicrobial assay demonstrated that yeast-derived gcDefb1 possesses a broad antibacterial spectrum, including both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, and the MIC values against Escherichia coli ATCC 25,922 were as low as 30 μg/mL and showed no cytotoxicity or hemolytic activity. The bactericidal rate of gcDefb1 was less than 60 min by disrupting the cell membranes, and it inhibited the formation of bacterial biofilms. Moreover, gcDefb1 was used as a biopreservative for pork storage, indicating that the physicochemical and sensory qualities were improved. This study provides an efficient method to prepare and utilize gcDefb1 as a novel biopreservative.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Key Research and Development (R&D) Program of Shandong Province, China, grant number 2019GSF107010, National Science Foundation of China, grant numbers 32100006, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, grant numbers ZR2019MH054 and ZR2018LD005, and Science and Technology Support Plan for Youth Innovation of Colleges and Universities in Shandong Province, grant number 2020KJD005.

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Author notes

  1. Bin Dong

    Present address: Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, 391 Huanghe 5th Road, Binzhou City, 256603, Shandong Province, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, 391 Huanghe 5th Road, Binzhou City, 256603, Shandong Province, China

    Yanjun Lin, Jun Wang, Wen Du, Chunlong Sun & Tao Wu

  2. Shandong Binzhou Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine Academy, Binzhou, China

    Shijun Fu

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  1. Bin Dong
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  7. Tao Wu
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Contributions

Data curation, B.D., YJ.L., J.W., CL.S. and W.D.; Funding acquisition, B.D., J.W., CL.S. and YJ.L.; Investigation, B.D., and SJ.F.; Methodology, B.D., J.W., T.W. and YJ.L.; Project administration, B.D.; Writing—original draft, B.D.; Writing—review & editing, B.D. and CL.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Bin Dong.

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Dong, B., Lin, Y., Wang, J. et al. Antibacterial activity of antimicrobial peptide gcDefb1 against foodborne pathogenic bacteria and its application in pork storage. Food Sci Biotechnol 31, 597–605 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-022-01060-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-022-01060-9

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