Genomic Characterization of Pediococcus acidilactici through a Whole Genome Sequencing: Unveiling its Genetic Complexity and Biotechnological

Abstract

Pediococcus is a genus that belongs to the family Lactobacillaceae. This family of bacteria consists of gram-positive Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) commonly found in fermented products. Pediococcus acidilactici holds an important role in food preservation due to its ability to inhibit food-borne pathogens through pediocin production, a heat-stable antimicrobial peptide. While pediocin is the main contributor to the antimicrobial activity of P. acidilactici there are other contributing factors such as organic acid. The result of our previous study shows antimicrobial activity by P. acidilactici but with the absence of pediocin detection. This result raises questions regarding the genetic factor of antimicrobial activity of our P. acidialctici isolate. This study aimed to do bioinformatic analysis of Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) of our P. acidilactici isolate. In particular to study genes that are responsible for antimicrobial activity, particularly pediocin-producing genes. We hypothesized the existence of pediocin-producing genes within the genome of our P. acidilactici isolates. Through a comprehensive literature review and bioinformatic analysis, this study underlines the potential of our P. acidilactici isolate as a probiotic for food fermentation and preservation. According to our analysis, we found a significant hit of pediocin-producing genes by BLAST, however, the low similarity between the search query and the sequence inside our genome assembly did not indicate the presence of pediocin-producing genes. Additionally, we found a significant hit with a high degree of similarity of lactic acid-producing genes inside our genome, which indicates the presence of at least one organic acid inside our genome.