Impact of the surface properties of lactic bacteria on the stability of emulsions

Bacteria have physicochemical surface properties which depend on the chemical composition of the cell surface. These characters proceed from several type of physicochemical interactions and are involved in attachment processes of microorganisms to surfaces. Thus they are of interest in several areas, as biomedicine, formation of biofilms and adhesion to apolar surfaces. Moreover, food matrix are complex heterogeneous media, which structure settles on interaction forces between molecules (van der Waals, electrostatic or structural forces…). When bacteria are present in a matrix, it is probable that their surface interacts with the other constituents. So far, few studies have mentioned this subject. In order to understand the involvement of cells surface properties in a food matrix, the effect of surface properties of lactic bacteria on the stability of model emulsions were studied. The results showed that the choice of a bacterium according to its surface properties may have a strong impact on the stability and on the behavior of an emulsion

BioRock:new experiments and hardware to investigate microbe–mineral interactions in space

In this paper, we describe the development of an International Space Station experiment, BioRock. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate biofilm formation and microbe–mineral interactions in space. The latter research has application in areas as diverse as regolith amelioration and extraterrestrial mining. We describe the design of a prototype biomining reactor for use in space experimentation and investigations on in situ Resource Use and we describe the results of pre-flight tests

Impact of surface properties of lactic acid bacteria on the stability of emulsions

peer reviewedBacteria have physicochemical surface properties which depend on the chemical composition of the cell surface. These characters proceed from several type of physicochemical interactions and are involved in attachment processes of microorganisms to surfaces. Thus they are of interest in several areas, as biomedicine, formation of biofilms and adhesion to apolar surfaces. Moreover, food matrix are complex heterogeneous media, which structure settles on interaction forces between molecules (van der Waals, electrostatic or structural forces…). When bacteria are present in a matrix, it is probable that their surface interacts with the other constituents. So far, few studies have mentioned this subject. In order to understand the involvement of cells surface properties in a food matrix, the effect of surface properties of lactic bacteria on the stability of model emulsions were studied. The results showed that the choice of a bacterium according to its surface properties may have a strong impact on the stability and on the behavior of an emulsion

Antimicrobial activity of autoclaved and non autoclaved copaiba oil on Listeria monocytogenes Atividade antimicrobiana de óleo de copaíba autoclavado e não autoclavado sobre Listeria monocytogenes

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of different copaiba oil concentrations against the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, and analyze differences in inhibition of microorganisms with autoclaved and non autoclaved oil. This study provided an agar diffusion test with six isolates of bacteria and six different concentrations of autoclaved or non autoclaved copaiba oil and a negative control. The results showed sensitivity of five L. monocytogenes isolates related to the 10% autoclaved solution of copaiba oil. Four strains also showed sensitivity to the 5% autoclaved solution and one to 2.5% autoclaved solution. The 10% non autoclaved oil solution showed growth inhibition only for two strains. These results had pointed the 10% autoclaved solution of copaiba oil with higher inhibition as all other solutions and concentrations tested (P<0.05). For the other concentrations of both solutions, the 5 and 2.5% autoclaved and 10% non autoclaved solutions had presented statistically equal. All other concentrations of both copaiba solutions and the negative control did not presented any bacteria inhibition. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the autoclaved copaiba oil may be a potential new agent source for infection control or for food preservation, inhibiting the growth of food-borne bacteria such as L. monocytogenes.<br>Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar o efeito antimicrobiano de diferentes concentrações de óleo de copaíba contra o crescimento de Listeria monocytogenes e analisar as diferenças na inibição do microorganismo com soluções do óleo autoclavadas e não autoclavadas. Para tanto, foi realizado um teste de difusão em ágar, com seis isolados do microrganismo originários de produtos cárneos, seis concentrações de ambas as soluções e um controle negativo. Os resultados mostraram sensibilidade de cinco cepas de L. monocytogenes em relação à solução 10% de óleo de copaíba autoclavada. Quatro isolados também apresentaram sensibilidade para a solução de 5% autoclavada e apenas um foi sensível à solução de 2,5% autoclavada. A solução 10% não autoclavada apresentou inibição do crescimento de apenas dois isolados. Esses resultados apontaram a solução autoclavada de 10% do óleo de copaíba com maior inibição em relação a todas as outras soluções e concentrações testadas (P<0,05). As soluções 5 e 2,5% autoclavadas e a solução 10% não autoclavada apresentaram-se estatisticamente iguais. Todas as outras concentrações das soluções de copaíba e o controle negativo não apresentaram inibição das bactérias. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que o óleo de copaíba autoclavado pode ser uma potencial fonte de novos agentes para o controle de infecção ou para a conservação dos alimentos, inibindo o crescimento de bactérias de origem alimentar como L. monocytogenes