The occurrence and characterisation of lactobacilli in meat products

The aim of this study was to monitor the frequency of lactobacilli in ready-to-eat meat products and to determine the species and the antimicrobial susceptibility. Identification of suspect isolates was investigated in this work by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 148 samples of meat products were examined, and lactobacilli were detected in 107 samples (72%). Four lactobacilli species were identified (L. sakei, L. plantarum, L. brevis and L. curvatus). Resistance to antimicrobials was screened by the broth microdilution method and minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined. Nine strains (60%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial and one strain was resistant to three groups of antimicrobial agents.