Development and antimicrobial application of plantaricin BM‐1 incorporating a PVDC film on fresh pork meat during cold storage

AIMS: The aim of this study was to develop a plantaricin BM-1, a typical IIa bacteriocin produced by Lactocacillus plantarumBM-1, for active polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) films and to determine the antimicrobial effect of plantaricin BM-1 incorporated into a PVDC film on fresh pork during 7 days of storage at 4°C. METHODS AND RESULTS: Plantaricin BM-1 solutions (20 480 AU ml-1 ) that absorbed into the PVDC film increased gradually and reached maximum volumes during exposure for up to 20 h. When soaked in water, the released amount of plantaricin BM-1 from the active PVDC film reached a maximum at 20 h. The plantaricin BM-1 active PVDC film had an obvious antilisterial effect in culture medium and fresh pork inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, plantaricin BM-1-incorporated PVDC film was also significantly (P < 0·01) reduced to aerobic counts of approximately 1·5 log10 CFU per g after 7 days of storage at 4°C in pork meat, and the pH and total volatile basic nitrogen of pork meat were significantly (P < 0·01, P < 0·05) lower than those of the control. CONCLUSION: Plantaricin BM-1 active film has an excellent effect to prolong the shelf life of pork meat during cold storage. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results of this study suggest a potential application of bacteriocin active film on meat preservation.