Isolation, Characterization and Bio-Control Activities of Bacillus Subtilis from the Fermented Soybean in Cambodia

The objective of this study was to isolate Bacillus subtilis produced Bacteriocin from Khmer traditional fermented soybean to control the growth of pathogenic bacteria from 120 SIENG samples from 9 different local open markets in Phnom Penh, 1 local open market and 2 local producers in Kandal province in Cambodia. 119 out of 120 samples were positive with Bacillus subtilis strains. Fifteen of these isolated strains exhibited antimicrobial activity to Lactobacillus plantarum by agar well diffusion assay and one of them (CeM6-7 strain) exhibited strongest antimicrobial activity. The filtered supernatant of this strain also suppressed the growth of several Gram-positive pathogens (such as Staphylococcus aureus) or lactic acid bacteria in broth. The filtrate could also suppress the growth of L. plantarum inoculated into soymilk. Antimicrobial B. subtilis strain CeM6-7 is thought to be applicable for making a starter culture to produce much safe fermented soybean foods by suppressing the growth of naturally contaminated B. cereus or S. aureus during production. In addition, the use of this starter culture may contribute to prevent spoilage or quality loss of soybean products caused by the over growth lactic acid bacteria or other Gram-positive bacteria.