Lactic acid bacteria elective habitat is food matrix, where they release encrypted metabolites from
several parent proteins as a result of their proteolytic activity in the matrix. These metabolites when decrypted confer
different bioactive activity thus improving public health. This study was aimed at producing peptide containing
metabolites with antibacterial efficacy from defatted cowpea and peanut using
Lactobacillus spp.
Lactobacillus spp.
isolated from spoilt yoghurt were identified using culture dependent and independent method. The isolates were screened
for proteolytic ability on skimmed milk agar. The selected isolate with highest proteolytic activity was used for metabolites
production through fermentation of defatted cowpea and peanut at 37 oC for 72 h. Parameters analyzed during fermentation
were pH,
Lactobacillus count, protease activity, peptide concentration and antibacterial activity. The crude peptides
produced were assayed for antibacterial activity against bacteria isolated from spoilt meat. From the identified
Lactobacillus spp.,
L. plantarum
CAU4347 had the highest proteolytic activity with clear zone of 24.50 ± 0.707 mm.
During fermentation the highest and lowest
Lactobacillus counts were from cowpea and peanut media with values 294.2
± 0.21 ×10
7 and 0.60 ± 0.4 ×10
7 cfu/ml respectively. Cowpea medium inoculated with
L. plantarum CAU4347, had the
highest peptide concentration of 79.92 ± 0.01 μg/ml. Consequently, peanut medium showed higher antibacterial activity
of 18 mm against
Escherichia coli
. This result finding suggests that encrypted peptide metabolites from cowpea and peanut
flour can confer antibacterial activity against meat spoilage bacteria thus could be utilized as a potential bio-preservative.