Carnobacterium maltaromaticum is a non-starter lactic acid bacterium (LAB) of interest in the dairy industry for biopreservation. This study investigated the interference competition network and the specialized metabolites biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) content in this LAB in order to explore the relationship between the antimicrobial properties and the genome content. Network analysis revealed that the potency of inhibition tended to increase when the inhibition spectrum broadened, but also that several strains exhibited a high potency and narrow spectrum of inhibition. The C. maltaromaticum strains with potent anti-L. monocytogenes were characterized by high potency and a wide intraspecific spectrum. Genome mining of 29 strains revealed the presence of 12 bacteriocin BGCs: four of class I and eight of class II, among which seven belong to class IIa and one to class IIc. Overall, eight bacteriocins and one nonribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase (NRPS-PKS) BGCs were newly described. The comparison of the antimicrobial properties resulting from the analysis of the network and the BGC genome content allowed us to delineate candidate BGCs responsible for anti-L. monocytogenes and anti-C. maltaromaticum activity. However, it also highlighted that genome analysis is not suitable in the current state of the databases for the prediction of genes involved in the antimicrobial activity of strains with a narrow anti-C. maltaromaticum activity.

In the present study, we describe the identification of potential citrate metabolism pathways for the lactic acid bacterium (LAB) Carnobacterium maltaromaticum. A phenotypic assay indicated that four of six C. maltaromaticum strains showed weak (Cm 6-1 and ATCC 35586) or even delayed (Cm 3-1 and Cm 5-1) citrate utilization activity. The remaining two strains, Cm 4-1 and Cm 1-2 gave negative results. Additional analysis showed no or very limited utilization of citrate in media containing 1% glucose and 22 or 30 mM citrate and inoculated with Cm 6-1 or ATCC 35586. Two potential pathways of citrate metabolism were identified by bioinformatics analyses in C. maltaromaticum including either oxaloacetate (pathway 1) or tricarboxylic compounds such as isocitrate and α-ketoglutarate (pathway 2) as intermediates. Genes encoding pathway 1 were present in two out of six strains while pathway 2 included genes present in all six strains. The two potential citrate metabolism pathways in C. maltaromaticum may potentially affect the sensory profiles of milk and soft cheeses subjected to growth with this species.