Investigation of phage and molasses interactions for the biocontrol of E. coli O157:H7

Resistance to antibiotics is one of the most critical health problems in the world. Therefore, finding new treatment methods to be used as alternatives to antibiotics has become a priority for researchers. Similar to phages, certain products containing antimicrobial components, such as molasses, are widely used to eliminate resistant bacteria. Molasses has a strong antimicrobial effect on bacterial cells, and this effect is thought to be due to the breakdown of the cytoplasmic cell membrane and cell proteins of the polyphenols in molasses. In the present study, phage–molasses interactions were investigated to examine the effects of concomitant use. It was found that molasses samples increased the size of phage plaques by up to 3-fold, and MIC and 1/2 x MIC concentrations of molasses increased the burst size of phages. Although no synergistic effect was found between the phage and molasses, the antimicrobial activities of the components and the effect of molasses on phage activity were demonstrated. © 2022, Canadian Science Publishing. All rights reserved.Emine Ku€bra Tayyarcan is supported by the 100/ 2000 doctoral scholarship provided by the Council of Higher Education, Turkey

Phenotypic Diversity And Technological Properties Of Yogurt Cultures Isolated From Traditionally Produced Turkish Yogurts With Comparison To Commercial Starter Cultures

Sixty Streptococcus thermophilus and 111 Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus isolates from traditionally produced Turkish yogurts were biochemically identified and examined for their technologically important features. Acidification profiles of the isolates were examined. Isolates with acidification rates comparable to those of commercial isolates were also tested for final pHs and acetaldehyde production after 24-h incubation. Selected isolates were also examined for their bacteriophage resistance and proteolytic activity. Twenty-five L. bulgaricus and 22 S. thermophilus isolates were selected based on their technological properties other than bacteriophage resistance. Bacteriophage resistance experiments revealed that all L. bulgaricus isolates except two were sensitive to the bacteriophages, while S. thermophilus isolates were resistant to most of the bacteriophages. The results show that yogurt bacteria isolated from traditional Turkish yogurts have significant phenotypic diversity and the technological properties of these isolates are comparable to tested commercial cultures.Wo

A Simple and Fast Method for Discrimination of Phage and Antibiotic Contaminants in Raw Milk By Using Raman Spectroscopy

Phage and antibiotic in raw milk poses significant risks for starter culture activity in fermented products. Therefore, rapid detection of phage and antibiotic contaminations in raw milk is a crucial process in dairy science. For this purpose, a preliminary novel method for detection of phage and antibiotic was developed by using Raman spectroscopy. Streptococcus thermophilus phages and ampicillin which are quite important elements in dairy industry were used as model. The phage and antibiotic samples were added to raw milk separately, and Raman measurements were carried out. The obtained spectra were processed with a chemometric method. In this study, it has been demonstrated that the presence of phage has a titer sufficient to stop the fermentation (10(7) pfu/ml), and antibiotic in a concentration which inhibits the growth of starter cultures (0.5 A mu g/ml) in raw milk could be discriminated through Raman spectroscopy with a short analysis time (30 min).Wo