Screening of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Antifungal Activity against Aspergillus oryzae

Problem statement: The growth of spoilage fungi have been a global concern because of the economy loses and the health hazard of the mycotoxins produced by the spoilage fungi. Approach: A total of 137 lactic acid bacteria isolated from Malaysian fruits and fermented foods were screened for antifungal activity using dual agar overlay method and well method against A. oryzae. Results: 23 isolates showed inhibition activity after 72 h incubation at 30°C. Supernatant of three isolates with strong antifungal activity was evaluated by well method and they inhibited the growth of the fungi at 30°C for 72 h. LAB supernatant reduced the mass growth of Aspergillus oryzae when incubated for 7 days at 30°C. The isolates were identified using API 50CH as Lactobacillus brevis G004, Lactobacillus fermentum Te007 and Pediococcus pentosaceus Te010. Conclusion: The three isolates studied inhibited the growth of the mycelia and conidia germination of the fungi which indicate the possibility of using LAB isolates as biopreservative.