Antilisterial Effect and Influence on Gene Expression of Enterocin or in Sliced Dry-Cured Ham Stored at 7°C.

In this study, we focused on the effect of an enterocin or an strain added onto sliced dry-cured ham that was artificially inoculated with and stored at 7°C. The population of and the expression of five genes were monitored throughout the storage period. A persistent and a nonpersistent strain were tested, and both were influenced by the presence of the enterocin; both populations were reduced by more than 2 Log CFU/g after 14 days compared with the control, noninoculated ham. The presence of a bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacterium, had a less pronounced effect on the viable counts for both strains. Concerning gene expression, a common trend observed for both strains in the presence of enterocin was the down-regulation of genes tested after 30 min of storage at 7°C. For the remainder of the storage period, the expression fluctuated but was mostly reduced. Similarly, the presence of led to an overall down-regulation of genes. The effect on gene expression of both enterocin and was more pronounced on the nonpersistent strain. Although the potential of a bacteriocin and a bacteriocin-producing microorganism to control was confirmed, this study highlights that gene expression may be influenced and needs to be evaluated when considering such biopreservation interventions.