Microbiological Safety and Functional Properties of a Fermented Nut-Based Product.

Fermented nut-based products, obtained after soaking and fermentation, are gaining increasing interest as animal food substitutes because of ethical, environmental and health reasons. In these products, Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) perform the fermentation, leading to matrix acidification and contributing to controlling spoilage and pathogenic microbiota. In this work, LAB strains isolated from an artisanal product and combined with a commercial strain were added as starter cultures during nut soaking to produce a cheese-like fermented plant-based product.

Companilactobacillus alimentarius: An extensive characterization of strains isolated from spontaneous fermented sausages.

Companilactobacillus alimentarius is a facultatively heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium (LAB) that is a significant constituent within the microbiota of various traditional fermented foods exerting several functions in fermentative or ripening processes. This species has been isolated from Spanish fermented sausages, where its frequency of isolation was comparable to those of Latilactobacillus sakei and Latilactobacillus curvatus. Despite to its presence in several niches, ecological information on this species is still scarce and only few publications report information about its safety features (i.

Use of two autochthonous bacteriocinogenic strains as starter cultures in the production of , a type of Spanish fermented sausages.

In this work, two autochthonous LAB strains ( BPF2 and ST6), isolated from spontaneously fermented sausages produced in Spain, were tested to produce Spanish fermented sausages () in pilot plants, due to their promising technological and anti-listerial activity. These products were compared with a sample obtained with a commercial starter (RAP) and a spontaneously fermented control sample. Physico-chemical parameters, microbial counts, metagenomic analysis, biogenic amines content and organoleptic profile of the obtained samples were studied to assess the performances of the native starters.

Microbial Spoilage of Traditional Goose Sausages Produced in a Northern Region of Italy.

Recently, during the ripening of goose sausage, a defect consisting of ammonia and vinegar smell was noticed. The producer of the craft facility, located in Lombardia, a Northern region of Italy, asked us to identify the cause of that defect. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the potential responsible agents for the spoilage of this lot of goose sausages.

Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Spontaneously Fermented Sausages: Bioprotective, Technological and Functional Properties.

Fermentation is one of the most ancient strategies to improve safety and extend shelf-life of the products. Starter cultures are mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which may also be bioprotective agents controlling the fermentation process, the native microbiota and pathogen outgrowth. This work aimed to select new LAB strains from spontaneously fermented sausages produced in different areas of Italy, which can be effective as starter cultures and bioprotective agents in fermented salami.

Impact of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation on Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Avocado Leaf Extracts.

The growing global consumption of avocados, associated with contents including bioactive compounds with numerous health-promoting properties, is producing a large amount of agro wastes around the world. Different management approaches are available for the recovery of bioactive compounds from wastes as potential ingredients for use in the production of functional foods and nutraceuticals. Lactic acid fermentation can be used to exploit nutritional potential and add value to agro wastes.

Survival, growth, and biogenic amine production of FC12 in response to extracts and essential oils of and .

Introduction: Enterococci are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) usually found as food contaminants in fermented products such as cheeses and fermented sausages. Due to their antibiotic resistance, the presence of virulence factors, and the ability to produce biogenic amines (BAs), the determination of these bacteria is crucial to assure food quality and safety. BAs production and consequent accumulation in foods can cause toxicological effects on human health.

Taxonomical Identification and Safety Characterization of from Mediterranean Natural Fermented Sausages.

Fermented meat products represent an important industrial sector in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean Countries (MC), where the presence of numerous local productions, still obtained through spontaneous fermentation, is recognized as a formidable treasure chest of unexplored microbial biodiversity. naturally occurring in fifteen spontaneously fermented sausages from MC (Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Slovenia) were isolated and taxonomically characterized using molecular techniques. Additionally, a safety assessment for the presence of antibiotic resistances and biogenic amine (BA) production was performed to determine their suitability as autochthonous starter cultures.

Safety and technological issues of dry fermented sausages produced without nitrate and nitrite.

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility to industrially produce fermented sausages without the addition of nitrate and nitrite. Indeed, despite their antimicrobial effect and multiple technological roles, an increasing pressure for their removal has recently raised. To achieve this goal while maintaining an acceptable final product quality, we deeply modified the whole process, that was carried out at 10-15 °C (i.

Effects of Rubus fruticosus and Juniperus oxycedrus derivatives on culturability and viability of Listeria monocytogenes.

The consumers' demand for safe foods without chemical additives increased the research for green solutions, based on natural antimicrobials. Plants can be an important source of bioactive compounds able to prevent the development of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microflora. This paper aimed to characterize phenolic extracts (PEs) and essential oils (EOs) obtained from Mediterranean Rubus fruticosus leaves and Juniperus oxycedrus needles and to evaluate their antimicrobial effects against Listeria monocytogenes Scott A.

Insights into the Metabolomic Diversity of .

(), widely used as a starter culture in fermented sausages, is a species adapted to meat environments. Its ability to survive for a long time in such products is due to the exploitation of different metabolic pathways to gain energy (hexose and pentose sugar fermentation, amino acids catabolism, etc.).

Mediterranean Spontaneously Fermented Sausages: Spotlight on Microbiological and Quality Features to Exploit Their Bacterial Biodiversity.

The wide array of spontaneously fermented sausages of the Mediterranean area can represent a reservoir of microbial biodiversity and can be an important source of new technological and functional strains able to preserve product properties, counteracting the impoverishment of their organoleptic typical features due to the introduction of commercial starter cultures. We analysed 15 artisanal salamis from Italy, Spain, Croatia and Slovenia to evaluate the microbiota composition, through culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques (i.e.

Listeria monocytogenes sensitivity to antimicrobial treatments depends on cell origin.

In this study we investigated how cell origin could affect the efficacy of an antimicrobial treatment (mild heating combined with terpenoids) in Listeria monocytogenes Scott A, considering cells from: 1. single colony, 2. glycerol stock, 3.

Competition between Starter Cultures and Wild Microbial Population in Sausage Fermentation: A Case Study Regarding a Typical Italian Salami ().

The work reports a case study describing how the competition wild microflora vs. starter cultures affects the final product characteristics. This study regards an industrial lot of , an Italian long-ripened traditional fermented sausages, produced using starter cultures.

Sustainable sources for antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds used in meat and seafood products.

The contribution of food in promotion of health has become of most importance. The challenges that lie before the global food supply chain, such as climate changes, food contamination, and antimicrobial resistance may compromise food safety at international scale. Compounds with strong antimicrobial and antioxidant activity can be extracted from different natural and sustainable sources and may contribute to extend the shelf life of meat and seafood products, enhance food safety and enrich foods with additional biologically active and functional ingredients.

Lactobacillus paracasei 4341 as adjunct culture to enhance flavor in short ripened Caciotta-type cheese.

Caciotta is the name used to define a type of Italian semi-hard cheese Caciotta-type cheese. Due to the short ripening time, pasteurization is necessary to eliminate the potential pathogenic bacteria, which may be present in raw milk, causing also the reduction of ripened cheese flavor. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of a selected wild Lactobacillus paracasei strain experimentally used as adjunct culture to enhance the flavour formation in a short-ripened caciotta-type cheese.

Heat-Assisted Pulsed Electric Field Treatment for the Inactivation of : Effects of the Presence of Citral.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is a non-thermal technology that has shown good potential for microbial inactivation. However, in many cases, it cannot be sufficient to avoid microbial proliferation, and the combination with other stabilizing technologies is needed. In the framework of the hurdle concept, several researches have been focused on the use of PEF in combination with heat and/or antimicrobials to increase its efficacy.

Modeling of yeast thermal resistance and optimization of the pasteurization treatment applied to soft drinks.

Yeast are usually responsible for spoilage of soft drinks and fruit beverages, because of the particular characteristics of these products (low pH, high C/N ratio). The microbial stability is guaranteed by thermal treatments. However, excessive heat treatments can affect food sensorial quality.

(Ultra) High Pressure Homogenization Potential on the Shelf-Life and Functionality of Kiwifruit Juice.

The increasing competition within the food industry sector makes the requisite of innovation in processes and products essential, leading to focus the interest on the application of new processing technologies including high pressure homogenization (HPH) and ultra high pressure homogenization (UHPH). In this context, the present research aimed at evaluating the effects of two UHPH treatments performed at 200 MPa for 2 and 3 cycles on quality and functionality of organic kiwifruit juice stored at three different temperatures, i.e.

Biogenic Amine Production by Lactic Acid Bacteria: A Review.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are considered as the main biogenic amine (BA) producers in fermented foods. These compounds derive from amino acid decarboxylation through microbial activities and can cause toxic effects on humans, with symptoms (headache, heart palpitations, vomiting, diarrhea) depending also on individual sensitivity. Many studies have focused on the aminobiogenic potential of LAB associated with fermented foods, taking into consideration the conditions affecting BA accumulation and enzymes/genes involved in the biosynthetic mechanisms.

Effect of Fermentation with Different Lactic Acid Bacteria Starter Cultures on Biogenic Amine Content and Ripening Patterns in Dry Fermented Sausages.

In the present study, two different diameter (small and large) Milano-type dry fermented sausages were industrially produced to evaluate the effect of two different LAB starter cultures ( and ) on biogenic amines (BAs) content, proteolysis, and lipolysis taking place during both fermentation and ripening. With regard to BAs, putrescine and tyramine were mostly found in fermented sausages having large diameter and those inoculated with / exhibited significantly higher accumulation of these compounds. Overall, the small size sausages showed a more pronounced proteolysis taking place during processing.

Phenotypic Diversity of Strains.

is a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species highly adapted to the meat environment. For this reason, selected strains are often used as starter culture in the production of fermented sausages, especially in Mediterranean countries. It often represents the dominant species in these products and can maintain its viability during all the ripening period, which can take also some months.