Lactiplantibacillus pentosus YXJ 1401 combats multidrug-resistant Salmonella Enteritidis: Antibacterial activity, dairy preservation, and metabolomics.

Abstract

The antibacterial activity, dairy biopreservative potential, and antibacterial compounds of the lactic acid bacterium Lactiplantibacillus pentosus remain largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of L. pentosus YXJ 1401 isolated from food-grade traditional Chinese pickles. The YXJ 1401 strain exhibited notable antibacterial activity against multiple foodborne pathogens, with an inhibition zone of 23.87 ± 0.19 mm against multidrug-resistant Salmonella Enteritidis. Furthermore, YXJ 1401 cell-free supernatant (CFS) demonstrated high thermal stability and acid resistance, effectively inhibiting the biofilm formation of S. Enteritidis. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that YXJ 1401 CFS destroyed the structural integrity of pathogenic bacterial cells. The biopreservative potential of YXJ 1401 was further validated in the milk and cheese environments. Specifically, YXJ 1401 CFS was beneficial to both milk and cheese by delaying the reduction in total protein content, slowing acidification, and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Moreover, it effectively postponed the spoilage of these dairy products, thereby extending their shelf life. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the composition of antibacterial substances in YXJ 1401 CFS mainly included organic acids and lipids. Collectively, these findings suggest the biopreservative potential of L. pentosus YXJ 1401 and its promising application in controlling pathogenic bacteria and their biofilms in dairy products.