Evaluation of the Functional Properties and Safety of Enterocin-producing Enterococcus faecium BT29.11 Isolated from Turkish Beyaz Cheese and its Inhibitory Activity against Listeria monocytogenes in UHT Whole Milk

The goal of this research was to evaluate the functional properties and safety of antilisterial Enterococcus faecium BT29.11 isolated from Turkish Beyaz cheese. E. faecium BT29.11 showed the highest inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. E. faecium BT29.11 was identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and genus- and species-specific PCR. The entA, entB, and entX structural genes were detected in E. faecium BT29.11. It was determined that the BT29.11 strain was a slow acid producer and did not show extracellular proteolytic and lipolytic activity. E. faecium BT29.11 demonstrated good probiotic properties. E. faecium BT29.11 was found to be ɣ-hemolytic, gelatinase-negative, and susceptible to clinically important antibiotics. Only ermC and acm were detected in the BT29.11 strain. E. faecium BT29.11 decreased the growth of L. monocytogenes in ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk. The findings of this research indicated that E. faecium BT29.11, an antilisterial strain, might be employed as a probiotic adjunct culture in fermented food products.