Isolation and Characterization of Bacteriophages Infecting Enterobacter cloacae to Reduce Bloater Defect in Cucumber Fermentations

<p>Fermented cucumbers are one of the most important fermented vegetables consumed worldwide. During cucumber fermentations, certain undesirable changes may occur. One of such changes is known as bloater defect (hollow cavities in fermented cucumbers), which is primarily caused by gas-producing bacteria including <em>Enterobacter cloacae</em>. Bloater defect lowers product quality and leads to significant economic loss to the pickle industry, and effective preventative methods are needed. Bacteriophages (phages) are highly host-specific bacteria killers. Use of phages to control unwanted bacteria in foods is a promising approach because phages do not change food properties. The goals of this research were to isolate, characterize, and evaluate phages infecting <em>Enterobacter cloacae</em>. The morphology, growth kinetics, host range, and effectiveness of two isolated phages, named Φ107E-p1 and Φ115E-p2, were examined. Additionally, DNA and protein analysis were performed. Based on acquired data, Φ115E-p2 is a potential candidate for use as a biocontrol method to prevent bloater defect during cucumber fermentations. Φ107E-p1 is not a candidate based on the effectiveness data obtained. More research is needed to further evaluate the efficacy of the phage infections against their hosts in cucumber fermentations.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Thompson, Samantha

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Melanie Griffin
• Dr. Tsai-Tien Tseng

• food microbiology
• fermentation
• phages
• biocontrol
• cucumber fermentation
• Biology
• Integrative Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/59

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:integrbiol_etd-1054