Commercial probiotic cell-free supernatants for inhibition of Clostridium perfringens poultry meat infection in Egypt

What is it about?

Prevalence of C. perfringens in Egyptian poultry causes severe economic losses in poultry industry which evokes innovative solutions for enhanced future prospects. The objective of this study was to employ probiotic cell-free supernatants for inhibition of Clostridium perfringens in poultry meat to control its prevalence in the Egyptian market. Four probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus EMCC 1105, Lactobacillus fermentum EMCC 1346, Pediococcus acidilactici EMCC 1690 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis EMCC supernatants’ anti-clostridial effect was assessed using agar disk diffusion assay, while antioxidant potentials and phenolic compounds were determined through colorimetric methods; DPPH, Folin- Ciocalteu and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Fifteen out of 50 chicken samples collected from Alexandria Governorate, Egypt, with percent of 30%, showed positive results for presence of C. perfringens with counts reached 3.71 ± 0.25 Log10 CFU/g. L. rhamnosus EMCC 1105 showed higher anti-clostridial potentials with inhibition zone diameter of 30 mmat concentration of 100 mg/ml and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 6.25mg/ml. Furthermore, L. rhamnosus revealed the best antioxidant potentials with IC50 46.59 mg/ml, total phenolic content 172.08mg/ml and total flavonoid content 17.22 mg/ml. When different concentrations of its supernatant 25, 50 and 100mg/g were applied, 100 mg/g were able to eliminate C. perfringens EMCC1574 from chicken meat on the 4th day of cold storage. For antagonistic potentials against clostridial infections, this probiotic strain could be recommended for further trials in other applications targeting food safety.

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Why is it important?

In conclusion, the four tested probiotic strains’ cell-free supernatants showed inhibitory potentials against C. perfringens in addition to antioxidant potentials. For performing the best results, L. rhamnosus was selected to be applied for in vitro inhibition of C. perfringens in poultry meat through 15 days of cold storage. The stored chicken meat samples were free of C. perfringens within 4 days at concentration of 100 mg/g of L. rhamnosus supernatant. For pronounced inhibitory activity, this probiotic strain can be recommended for future trials for other applications targeting food safety.

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