Functional Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Blood Parameters in Diabetic Rats Following Dietary Intervention with Free or Immobilized SK Cells on Pistachio Nuts.

Background/objectives: The gut microbiota is linked to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), while supplementation with probiotics may result in positive alterations in the composition of the gut microbiome. This research aimed to map the changes in the gut microbiome and blood markers of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after a dietary intervention with free or immobilized cells of the presumptive probiotic SK on pistachio nuts.

Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were studied and divided into four groups (healthy or diabetic) which received the free or the immobilized .

Novel Wild-Type and Strains as Probiotic Candidates to Manage Obesity-Associated Insulin Resistance.

As the food and pharmaceutical industry is continuously seeking new probiotic strains with unique health properties, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of short-term dietary intervention with novel wild-type strains, isolated from various sources, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance. Initially, the strains were evaluated in vitro for their ability to survive in simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, for adhesion to Caco-2 cells, for bile salt hydrolase secretion, for cholesterol-lowering and cellular cholesterol-binding ability, and for growth inhibition of food-borne pathogens. In addition, safety criteria were assessed, including hemolytic activity and susceptibility to antibiotics.

Molecular characterization and molasses fermentation performance of a wild yeast strain operating in an extremely wide temperature range.

Molasses fermentation performance by both a cryotolerant and a thermophilic yeast (strain AXAZ-1) isolated from grapes in Greece was evaluated in an extremely wide temperature range (3-40 degrees C). Sequence analysis of the 5.8S internal transcribed spacer and the D1/D2 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) regions assigned isolate to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Scale-up of thermally dried kefir production as starter culture for hard-type cheese making: an economic evaluation.

This paper concerns the effect of thermal-drying methodology on the investment cost for dried kefir cells production in order to be used as starter culture in cheese manufacturing. Kefir cells were produced at pilot plant scale using a 250-L bioreactor and whey as the main substrate. Kefir cells were subsequently dried in a thermal dryer at 38 degrees C and used as a starter culture in industrial-scale production of hard-type cheeses.

Thermally-dried free and immobilized kefir cells as starter culture in hard-type cheese production.

In an attempt to seek for suitable dried cultures, thermally-dried kefir was employed as starter in hard-type cheese production and tested in cheeses ripened at 5, 18 and 22 degrees C. Both free and immobilised on casein kefir cells were used and compared to cheese made without starter culture. Cheese products made with free cells of kefir culture were characterized by longer preservation time, improved aroma, taste, texture characteristics and increased degree of openness.

Production of hard-type cheese using free or immobilized freeze-dried kefir cells as a starter culture.

This study provides a contribution to hard-type cheese starter culture production through the use of a freeze-dried culture in the ripening of hard-type cheeses. The effect of initial cell concentration, ripening temperature, and cell immobilization of kefir on the degree of openness, mold spoilage, microbial associations, physicochemical characteristics, and aroma-related compounds was studied. Use of kefir starter cultures resulted in cheese with an increased shelf life and resistance to spoilage as compared to control cheeses without kefir inoculants.

Evaluation of the thermally dried immobilized cells of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus on apple pieces as a potent starter culture.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of thermal drying of immobilized Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus on apple pieces on the use of the derived biocatalyst in whey fermentation. The thermally dried immobilized biocatalyst was compared to wet and freeze-dried immobilized cells, in respect to maintenance of cell viability and fermentation efficiency.

Detection of phosphonoacetate degradation and phnA genes in soil bacteria from distinct geographical origins suggest its possible biogenic origin.

Phosphonoacetate is regarded as an antiviral xenobiotic whose mineralization can be catalysed by an enzyme, phosphonoacetate hydrolase, encoded by the phnA gene. To date the enzyme's activity has been detected in only a limited number of bacteria. Its expression has been shown to occur in a manner independent of the phosphate status of the cell, in direct contrast to the general rule of organophosphonate metabolism being under the control of the pho regulon.