Bacillus subtilis fermented shrimp waste isolated peptide, PVQ9, and its antimicrobial mechanism on four Gram-positive foodborne bacteria

Bacillus subtilis produces proteases that hydrolyze proteins to produce bioactive peptides. Given the mounting waste from processed shrimp, the antimicrobial potential of peptides isolated from B. subtilis fermented shrimp waste was explored. Among the five peptides screened using molecular docking prediction, PVQ9 (AVFPSIVGRPR) had strong antibacterial activity against four common foodborne Gram-positive bacteria, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Mammaliicoccus sciuri, and Kurthia gibsonii. The minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were 62.5 μg/mL for S. aureus and B. cereus, and 31.3 μg/mL for both M. sciuri and K. gibsonii, with a time-kill of 3 h observed for all strains. Mechanistically, it was demonstrated that PVQ9 could destroy bacterial cell walls, change bacteria cell membrane permeability, bind to bacteria DNA, and cause cell apoptosis. Most importantly, peptide PVQ9 could inhibit the spoilage of bean curd or tofu contaminated with K. gibsonii. These findings suggest that PVQ9 could be a useful preservative in controlling foodborne pathogenic bacteria in soy products and other processed foods.