Physico-chemical composition and antimicrobial protein content of early lactation donkey milk

The influence of early lactation on chemical composition and the concentration of antimicrobial proteins of donkey’s milk produced in Cyprus were investigated. Milk samples from 10 female donkeys in their first season of lactation were collected at 7, 15 and 30d postpartum. The average contents of donkey milk gross composition were 1.40% protein, 0.16% fat and 8.74% total solids. Results showed that lactation had a significant negative effect on protein concentration, while total solid concentration showed an increased followed by a decrease. Composition of antimicrobial proteins also showed a significant decreased during lactation period except from lactoferrin which showed an increase. On the other hand, throughout the lactation, pH and fat were constant

Donkey milk microbiota : isolation and characterization for potential applications

Milks from non traditional animal species (i.e., donkey, camel, and buffalo) are recently gaining momentum mainly due to the fact that they are considered suitable to supplement the needs of special population groups (i.e., infants, the elderly). Research on donkey milk has dramatically increased over the past few years; therefore, this study aims to critically summarize the current research, characterizing the microbiota diversity of donkey milk and finally offering an insight into its unique functional properties, namely, antimicrobial, antioxidant and ACE-inibitory activities. The purpose of this project was to provide general information about donkey milk produced in Cyprus by characterizing and identifying the microbiota diversity of raw donkey milk, for potential application into the production of a nutraceutical fermented donkey drink. The project consists of four main parts. There has been a trend recently to isolate wild-type strains from natural sources for use as starter cultures in food fermentation. Therefore, the first part of the project has concentrated on the study of the diversity, technological and the safety aspects of LAB isolated from raw donkey milk, in order to determine their potential to be used as starters/adjuncts cultures in dairy products. Gram-positive, catalase negative bacteria (257) were isolated using selective microbiological media from eleven raw milk samples, collected over seven months from a donkey farm in Cyprus. All isolates were identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Organisms identified with partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis were classified within the genus of Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Enterococcus. Following identification, the predominant LABs were assessed for technological properties; acidification capacity, proteolytic, lipolytic and autolytic activities and production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) and diacetyl. Furthermore, in order to assess their suitability as starter/adjunct cultures, their susceptibility to antibiotics, the absence of virulence factors, the lack of haemolytic activity and production of biogenic amines were also investigated. The safety profile of the isolates revealed that their great majority were susceptible to clinically important antibiotics (i.e. vancomycin) and production of biogenic amines (i.e. tyramine) while the presence of some virulence genes occurred in a few isolates.Dimitris Tsaltas, Colin HillComplete

Major Classes of Sourdough Enzymes

The enzymatic and microbial conversion of flour components during the bread making process affects bread quality (rheology, texture, flavor). The action of cereal enzymes and the metabolism of sourdough bacteria are interdependent. The activity of cereal enzymes is modulated by microbial acidification, oxygen consumption, and the accumulation of thiols by microbial metabolism. Cereal enzymes, in turn, provide substrates for bacterial growth, and their activity contributes to the selection of fermentation microbiota. This chapter reviews the main classes of cereal enzymes available in sourdough, cereals, and the bread making process as well as the metabolism of lactic acid bacteria in the conversion of carbohydrates, proteins, phenolic compounds, and lipids

Microbes and the environment

The production of traditional fermented meat or dairy products is a complex biological phenomenon affected by the action of indigenous microbes. These traditional manufacturing practices lead to a great variability in the quality and flavor of the products. Understanding the metabolic activities, diversity and behavior of microorganisms during food fermentations is a very interesting and challenging task. This will help the producers to reach high quality of their products in terms of safety, shelf life and organoleptic characteristics, as the most promising strains for starter cultures are those which are isolated from the indigenous microbiota of traditional products. The current chapter describes the microbial diversity of naturally fermented dairy and meat products in relation to processing environment and equipment as well as the impact on quality characteristics including authentication of origin and traditional making practices

Dairy pathogens: Characteristics and impact

© 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Milk and dairy products can be an ideal medium for the growth of a variety of microorganisms, both pathogenic and spoilage. Even though milk and milk products are amongst the safest food worldwide and account only a small percentage of all food-borne diseases, they have an inherent potential for causing illness as they are potentially the source of a very broad range of microbial, chemical, and physical hazards. The presence of food-borne pathogens in milk and milk products is due to direct contact with contaminated sources in the dairy farm environment, to excretion from the udder of an infected animal and during processing and handling

Dairy pathogens: Characteristics and impact

© 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Milk and dairy products can be an ideal medium for the growth of a variety of microorganisms, both pathogenic and spoilage. Even though milk and milk products are amongst the safest food worldwide and account only a small percentage of all food-borne diseases, they have an inherent potential for causing illness as they are potentially the source of a very broad range of microbial, chemical, and physical hazards. The presence of food-borne pathogens in milk and milk products is due to direct contact with contaminated sources in the dairy farm environment, to excretion from the udder of an infected animal and during processing and handling

Review on non-dairy probiotics and their use in non-dairy based products

The article was funded by the “CUT Open Access Author Fund”Consumer demands for foods promoting health while preventing diseases have led to development of functional foods that contain probiotic bacteria. Fermented dairy products are good substrates for probiotic delivery, but the large number of lactose intolerant people, their high fat and cholesterol content and also due to the growing vegetarianism the consumers are seeking for alternatives. Therefore, researches have been widely studied the feasibility of probiotic bacteria in non-dairy products such as fruits, vegetables, and cereals. This review describes the application of probiotic cultures in non-dairy food products

Enrichment of Fermented Milk Drinks with Mespilus germanica and Crataegus azarolus Fruit Extracts

The aim of the present study was to select the optimal extraction conditions for two underutilized wild fruits of the Rosaceae family (Mespilus germanica and Crataegus azarolus) in order to investigate the possibility of utilizing their potential bioactive properties by developing novel fermented milk drinks enriched with fruit extracts, with functional properties. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts, as well as their antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, were evaluated, and based on the results, the optimal extraction conditions were selected. The technological characteristics (i.e., fermentation conditions) and microbiological and bioactive properties of the final products were evaluated over refrigerated storage for 28 days. The findings of the study showed that the incorporation of Mespilus germanica or Crataegus azarolus extracts had a positive influence on the bioactive properties of the end-products, decreased fermentation times and maintained high viable populations of lactic acid bacteria. Hence, it can be concluded that Mespilus germanica or Crataegus azarolus extracts can be exploited in the enrichment of an added-value fermented milk drink