Evaluation of antimicrobial and probiotic properties of the predominant LAB isolated from fermented germinated clover seed

Recently, the tendency to use probiotic-potential starter cultures among lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from non-dairy fermented substrates has been increased. The aim of this study was to isolate and molecularly identify the predominant LAB isolated from fermented germinated clover seeds, and also to evaluate its probiotic and antifungal properties. The LAB isolate was identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus, in accordance with the sequencing results of the PCR products. The antifungal and antibacterial effect of the isolate on Aspergillus niger and Staphylococcus aureus was significantly (P <0.05) higher than the other studied foodborne fungi and bacteria. Furthermore, P. pentosaceus isolate had a good survival (77.22%) in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The isolate had no hemolytic activity, and its auto-aggregation activity was 35.51%. Also, the rate of co-aggregation of the isolate with Escherichia coli and S. enterica was equal to 48.71% and 18.43%, respectively. In addition, the bacterium was sensitive to the penicillin, cephalothin, ampicillin and cefazolin antibiotics.Accordingly, it is possible to use the isolate as a probiotic culture with potential biological preservative in the food industry