Antimicrobial Activity of Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria Against Bacteria Isolated From Abattoir Wastewater

This study investigated the bacterial composition and the effect of bacteriocin on bacteria isolated from abattoir wastewater. We isolated bacteria from abattoir wastewater using standard microbiological methods. We isolated lactic acid bacteria from fermented food waste using standard microbiological methods and confirmed their identity by 16S rRNA sequencing. We produced bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria by submerged fermentation and purified them by ammonium sulphate precipitation and column chromatography. We assayed bacteriocin extracts for antibacterial activity using the agar well diffusion method. Bacteria isolated from abattoir wastewater were Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca, Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. We identified the lactic acid bacteria that showed significant inhibition as Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum. Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum bacteriocins both showed the highest inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, with zones of inhibition of 16 mm and 15 mm, respectively. Both bacteriocins showed the highest antagonistic activity against isolated bacteria at pH 4 and 40 °C. The activity of both bacteriocins decreased as storage time increased. The results indicate that bacteriocins exhibit significant inhibitory activity against bacterial strains in abattoir wastewater and offer an alternative approach for treating abattoir wastewater.