Comparison of two methods for purification of plantaricin ST31, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum ST31

Two methods of purification of the plantaricin ST31, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus plantarum ST31 are used in this study - the method of ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sep-pack C18 cartridge and reverse-phase HPLC chromatography on C18 Nucleosil column, and the method of direct purification by cation exchange SP Sepharose Fast Flow column Amersham (Pharmacia Biotech). The purity of the products from the two experimental protocols are examined for their molecular weight, aminoacid composition and sequence. Comparison of results show that the plantaricins purified with the two methods are identical. Both methods may be used to purify plantaricin ST31. Comparison of the yield in the purification protocols is 0.8% in the HPLC experimental protocol and 5.9% in the cation-exchange chromatography method.