DIVERSITY OF BACILLUS SPECIES AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS INVOLVED IN ALKALINE-FERMENTATION OF INDIGENOUS FOOD CONDIMENTS USED IN AFRICA

The indigenous food condiments, produced by alkaline fermentation of various African plant products, are widely used as food seasonings by most African people. Many strains of Bacillus genus are recognized as dominant microorganisms responsible of bioconversion of diverse plant-based seeds for the production of African alkaline-fermented food condiments. The involved Bacillus strains are known to produce a wide arsenal of useful antimicrobial compounds, particular polypeptides, lipopeptides and bacteriocins that exert broader spectra activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi implicated in food toxicity or spoilage and ultimately human pathogenicity. Lipopeptides and bacteriocins present diverse biochemical structures with different mode and mechanism of action linked to their genetic and biosynthesis pathway. The molecular biology methods currently use in microbiological research allowed more reliable identification of antimicrobial polypeptides-producing Bacillus strains from these foods generating sufficient knowledge which potentiated the selection of starters cultures. The starters cultures and their antimicrobial peptides know a growing interest for effectiveness and best applications in many life domains. In this review, current knowledge about the main Bacillus species involved in African alkaline-fermented food condiments processes, mode and mechanism of action, genetic and biosynthesis pathway, and food applications of the antimicrobial peptides produced by these Bacillus strains are discussed.