Objective: The objectives of this research project were isolation, identification, and evaluation of the safety aspect and probiotics properties of 21 Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from sausages originated from southeastern Serbia.
Results: Analyzed E. faecium isolates showed tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. All the examined isolates grew well on media with 0.1% and 0.2% of phenol. None of the tested isolates were histamine-producers, while the synthesis of tyramine was observed for E. faecium sk8-1 and sk8-17. Full resistance to antibiotics was not observed for any examined isolate of E. faecium (penicillin, amoxicillin, and ofloxacin showed the effect on all tested isolates). An inhibition zone against examined pathogens was exhibited by all strains, with the largest inhibition zone against Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp. and E. coli (12-30 mm/MIC values ranged from 0.5 to 12 mg mL-1).
Conclusion: The results indicated that E. faecium isolates from spontaneously fermented sausage showed a potential for further investigation and possible application as probiotics.
Keywords: Enterococcus faecium; Fermented sausage; Probiotic characteristics; Safety aspect.