Synbiotic effect of Bifidobacterium lactis CNCM I-3446 and bovine milk-derived oligosaccharides on infant gut microbiota

Background: This study evaluated the impact ofBifidobacterium animalisssp.lactisCNCM I-3446, Bovine Milk-derived OligoSaccharides (BMOS) and their combination on infant gut microbiota in vitro. In addition, a novel strategy consisting of preculturingB. lactiswith BMOS to further enhance their potential synbiotic effects was assessed. Method: Short-term fecal batch fermentations (48 h) were used to assess the microbial composition and activity modulated by BMOS alone,B. lactisgrown on BMOS or dextrose alone, or their combinations on different three-month-old infant microbiota. Results: BMOS alone significantly induced acetate and lactate production (leading to pH decrease) and stimulated bifidobacterial growth in 10 donors. A further in-depth study on two different donors provedB. lactisability to colonize the infant microbiota, regardless of the competitiveness of the environment. BMOS further enhanced this engraftment, suggesting a strong synbiotic effect. This was also observed at the microbiota activity level, especially in a donor containing low initial levels of bifidobacteria. In this donor, preculturingB. lactiswith BMOS strengthened further the early modulation of microbiota activity observed after 6 h. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the strong synbiotic effect of BMOS andB. lactison the infant gut microbiota, and suggests a strategy to improve its effectiveness in an otherwise low-Bifidobacteriummicrobiota

Flavour by design: food-grade lactic acid bacteria improve the volatile aroma spectrum of oat milk, sunflower seed milk, pea milk, and faba milk towards improved flavour and sensory perception

Background The global market of plant-based milk alternatives is continually growing. Flavour and taste have a key impact on consumers’ selection of plant-based beverages. Unfortunately, natural plant milks have only limited acceptance. Their typically bean-like and grassy notes are perceived as“of-favours” by consumers, while preferred fruity, buttery, and cheesy notes are missing. In this regard, fermentation of plant milk by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) appears to be an appealing option to improve aroma and taste. Results In this work, we systematically studied LAB fermentation of plant milk. For this purpose, we evaluated 15 food-approved LAB strains to ferment 4 diferent plant milks: oat milk (representing cereal-based milk), sunfower seed milk (representing seed-based milk), and pea and faba milk (representing legume-based milk). Using GC‒MS analysis, favour changes during anaerobic fermentations were studied in detail. These revealed species-related and plant milkrelated diferences and highlighted several well-performing strains delivered a range of benefcial favour changes. A developed data model estimated the impact of individual favour compounds using sensory scores and predicted the overall favour note of fermented and nonfermented samples. Selected sensory perception tests validated the model and allowed us to bridge compositional changes in the favour profle with consumer response. Conclusion Specifc strain-milk combinations provided quite diferent favour notes. This opens further developments towards plant-based products with improved favour, including cheesy and buttery notes, as well as other innovative products in the future. S. thermophilus emerged as a well-performing strain that delivered preferred buttery notes in all tested plant milks. The GC‒MS-based data model was found to be helpful in predicting sensory perception, and its further refnement and application promise enhanced potential to upgrade fermentation approaches to favour-by-design strategies

Genome-based selection and application of food-grade microbes for chickpea milk fermentation towards increased L-lysine content, elimination of indigestible sugars, and improved flavour

Background Plant-based milk alternatives are more popular than ever, and chickpea-based milks are among the most commercially relevant products. Unfortunately, limited nutritional value because of low levels of the essential amino acid L-lysine, low digestibility and unpleasant taste are challenges that must be addressed to improve product quality and meet consumer expectations. Results Using in-silico screening and food safety classifications, 31 strains were selected as potential L-lysine producers from approximately 2,500 potential candidates. Beneficially, 30% of the isolates significantly accumulated amino acids (up to 1.4 mM) during chickpea milk fermentation, increasing the natural level by up to 43%. The best-performing strains, B. amyloliquefaciens NCC 156 and L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NCC 2511, were tested further. De novo lysine biosynthesis was demonstrated in both strains by 13C metabolic pathway analysis. Spiking small amounts of citrate into the fermentation significantly activated L-lysine biosynthesis in NCC 156 and stimulated growth. Both microbes revealed additional benefits in eliminating indigestible sugars such as stachyose and raffinose and converting off-flavour aldehydes into the corresponding alcohols and acids with fruity and sweet notes. Conclusions B. amyloliquefaciens NCC 156 and L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NCC 2511 emerged as multi-benefit microbes for chickpea milk fermentation with strong potential for industrial processing of the plant material. Given the high number of L-lysine-producing isolates identified in silico, this concept appears promising to support strain selection for food fermentation

Co-cultures of Propionibacterium freudenreichii and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens cooperatively upgrade sunflower seed milk to high levels of vitamin B12 and multiple co-benefits

Background Sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus) display an attractive source for the rapidly increasing market of plant-based human nutrition. Of particular interest are press cakes of the seeds, cheap residuals from sunflower oil manufacturing that offer attractive sustainability and economic benefits. Admittedly, sunflower seed milk, derived therefrom, suffers from limited nutritional value, undesired flavor, and the presence of indigestible sugars. Of specific relevance is the absence of vitamin B12. This vitamin is required for development and function of the central nervous system, healthy red blood cell formation, and DNA synthesis, and displays the most important micronutrient for vegans to be aware of. Here we evaluated the power of microbes to enrich sunflower seed milk nutritionally as well as in flavor. Results Propionibacterium freudenreichii NCC 1177 showed highest vitamin B12 production in sunflower seed milk out of a range of food-grade propionibacteria. Its growth and B12 production capacity, however, were limited by a lack of accessible carbon sources and stimulants of B12 biosynthesis in the plant milk. This was overcome by co-cultivation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NCC 156, which supplied lactate, amino acids, and vitamin B7 for growth of NCC 1177 plus vitamins B2 and B3, potentially supporting vitamin B12 production by the Propionibacterium. After several rounds of optimization, co-fermentation of ultra-high-temperature pre-treated sunflower seed milk by the two microbes, enabled the production of 17 µg (100 g)−1 vitamin B12 within four days without any further supplementation. The fermented milk further revealed significantly enriched levels of L-lysine, the most limiting essential amino acid, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, improved protein quality and flavor, and largely eliminated indigestible sugars. Conclusion The fermented sunflower seed milk, obtained by using two food-grade microbes without further supplementation, displays an attractive, clean-label product with a high level of vitamin B12 and multiple co-benefits. The secret of the successfully upgraded plant milk lies in the multifunctional cooperation of the two microbes, which were combined, based on their genetic potential and metabolic signatures found in mono-culture fermentations. This design by knowledge approach appears valuable for future development of plant-based milk products

The NutriChip project - translating technology into nutritional knowledge

Advances in food transformation have dramatically increased the diversity of products on the market and, consequently, exposed consumers to a complex spectrum of bioactive nutrients whose potential risks and benefits have mostly not been confidently demonstrated. Therefore, tools are needed to efficiently screen products for selected physiological properties before they enter the market. NutriChip is an interdisciplinary modular project funded by the Swiss programme Nano-Tera, which groups scientists from several areas of research with the aim of developing analytical strategies that will enable functional screening of foods. The project focuses on postprandial inflammatory stress, which potentially contributes to the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. The first module of the NutriChip project is composed of three in vitro biochemical steps that mimic the digestion process, intestinal absorption, and subsequent modulation of immune cells by the bioavailable nutrients. The second module is a miniaturised form of the first module (gut-on-a-chip) that integrates a microfluidic-based cell co-culture system and super-resolution imaging technologies to provide a physiologically relevant fluid flow environment and allows sensitive real-time analysis of the products screened in vitro. The third module aims at validating the in vitro screening model by assessing the nutritional properties of selected food products in humans. Because of the immunomodulatory properties of milk as well as its amenability to technological transformation, dairy products have been selected as model foods. The NutriChip project reflects the opening of food and nutrition sciences to state-of-the-art technologies, a key step in the translation of transdisciplinary knowledge into nutritional advic

Role of the reward system in managing changes of organizational culture

The paper intends to investigate how companies can efficiently manage their organizational cultures through changes in the reward system. The paper is based on a research which has taken place in one Serbian company which decided to change its organizational culture, as a prerequisite for further organizational changes. As the main instrument for changing organizational culture, the top management used changes in the reward system. The findings suggest that in the short run only narrow changes of organizational culture are likely to occur. The influence of the reward system on cultural changes is quite limited, and therefore should be strengthened by using various HRM policies

The influence of culture on human resource management processes and practices: The propositions for Serbia

This paper attempts to address the influence of national culture on HRM practices and processes in order to draw conclusions for Serbian HR practitioners, multinational corporations operating in Serbia, and any other country or organizational context that has similar cultural characteristics. To achieve this we first review the relevant literature to identify the interdependencies between Hofstede's cultural dimensions and HRM practices and processes. On the basis of recognized relationships we put forward 11 propositions about likely appropriate HRM practices (such as job analysis, recruitment and selection, human resource planning and career management) for the Serbian cultural context, characterized by high Uncertainty Avoidance, high Power Distance, Collectivism and Femininity

Cultural divergence and performance evaluation systems: A comparative study of three Serbian companies

Many authors have argued that human resource systems are the business practices most likely to be affected by the cultural context within which they are applied. Among other HRM practices cultural differences significantly affect performance evaluation, causing various difficulties and inefficiencies in the implementation of performance evaluation systems (PES). In order to provide for a deeper understanding of difficulties in the implementation of PES within specific cultural contexts, this paper therefore intends to explore the design and implementation of performance evaluation systems in three Serbian companies. The research findings point out the importance of building more culturally sensitive PES, calling attention to some possible directions, particularly in Serbia

Alginate beads and epoxy resin composites as candidates for microwave absorbers

This paper presents a new composite material, which is developed by mixing calcium alginate spheres with commercially available epoxies Stycas 2850 FT (s2850) and Stycast W19 (W19). The resulting composite material is examined in terms of transmission and re°ection coe±cients in microwave frequencies (26 to 40 GHz, 70 to 110 GHz and 300 to 320 GHz). The study reveals that the new material exhibits re°ection coe±cients much lower than some commercial CR absorbers from the Eccosorb group. The experimental results justify the use of the new composite material as absorber at microwave frequencies