Characterizing halloumi cheese's bacterial communities through metagenomic analysis

Halloumi is a semi hard cheese produced in Cyprus for centuries and its popularity has significantly risen over the past years. High throughput sequencing (HTS) was applied in the present research to characterize traditional Cyprus Halloumi bacterial diversity. Eighteen samples made by different milk mixtures and produced in different areas of the country were analyzed, to reveal that Halloumi microbiome was mainly comprised by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), including Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Pediococcus, as well as halophilic bacteria, such as Marinilactibacillus and Halomonas. Additionally, spore forming bacteria and spoilage bacteria, were also detected. Halloumi produced with the traditional method, had significantly richer bacterial diversity compared to Halloumi produced with the industrial method. Variations detected among the bacterial communities highlight the contribution of the initial microbiome that existed in milk and survived pasteurization, as well as factors associated with Halloumi manufacturing conditions, in the final microbiota composition shaping. Identification and characterization of Halloumi microbiome provides an additional, useful tool to characterize its typicity and probably safeguard it from fraud products that may appear in the market. Also, it may assist producers to further improve its quality and guarantee consumers safety

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

Cross-European initial survey on the use of mathematical models in food industry

Mathematical modelling plays an important role in food engineering having various mathematical models tailored for different food topics. However, mathematical models are followed by limited information on their application in food companies. This paper aims to discuss the extent and the conditions surrounding the usage of mathematical models in the context of European food and drinks industry. It investigates the knowledge, nature and current use of modelling approaches in relation to the industry main characteristics. A total of 203 food companies from 12 European countries were included in this research. Results reveal that the country where the company operates, and size of the company, are more important predictors on the usage of mathematical models followed by the type of food sector. The more developed countries are positioned at the higher level of knowledge and use of available models. Similar pattern was observed at the micro level showing that small or medium sized companies exhibit lack of knowledge, resources and limiting usage of models

The forgotten role of food cultures

Fermentation is one of if not the oldest food processing technique, yet it is still an emerging field when it comes to its numerous mechanisms of action and potential applications. The effect of microbial activity on the taste, bioavailability and preservation of the nutrients and the different food matrices has been deciphered by the insights of molecular microbiology. Among those roles of fermentation in the food chain, biopreservation remains the one most debated. Presumably because it has been underestimated for quite a while, and only considered - based on a food safety and technological approach - from the toxicological and chemical perspective. Biopreservation is not considered as a traditional use, where it has been by design - but forgotten - as the initial goal of fermentation. The 'modern' use of biopreservation is also slightly different from the traditional use, due mainly to changes in cooling of food and other ways of preservation, Extending shelf life is considered to be one of the properties of food additives, classifying - from our perspective - biopreservation wrongly and forgetting the role of fermentation and food cultures. The present review will summarize the current approaches of fermentation as a way to preserve and protect the food, considering the different way in which food cultures and this application could help tackle food waste as an additional control measure to ensure the safety of the food

Dairy microbiology: A practical approach

© 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The objective of this book is to provide a scientific background to dairy microbiology by re-examining the basic concepts of general food microbiology and the microbiology of raw milk while offering a practical approach to the following aspects: well-known and newfound pathogens that are of major concern to the dairy industry. Topics addressed include Cronobactersakazakii and its importance to infant formula milk or Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) that might be connected to chronic human diseases (Crohn’s), the role of dairy starter cultures in manufacturing fermented dairy products, developing novel functional dairy products through the incorporation of probiotic strains, insights in the field of molecular methods for microbial identification, and controlling dairy pathogens owing to the compulsory application of food safety management systems (FSMS) to the dairy industry. The book will provide dairy professionals and students alike the latest information on this vast topic

Squeaky bite

Why does halloumi cheese “squeak” against your teeth when you bite into it? I don't know of any other food that does this, including other cheeses

Dairy microbiology: A practical approach

© 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. The objective of this book is to provide a scientific background to dairy microbiology by re-examining the basic concepts of general food microbiology and the microbiology of raw milk while offering a practical approach to the following aspects: well-known and newfound pathogens that are of major concern to the dairy industry. Topics addressed include Cronobactersakazakii and its importance to infant formula milk or Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) that might be connected to chronic human diseases (Crohn’s), the role of dairy starter cultures in manufacturing fermented dairy products, developing novel functional dairy products through the incorporation of probiotic strains, insights in the field of molecular methods for microbial identification, and controlling dairy pathogens owing to the compulsory application of food safety management systems (FSMS) to the dairy industry. The book will provide dairy professionals and students alike the latest information on this vast topic

Τυρί: τεχνολογία γάλακτος, τυροκομία, παρουσίαση τυριών

Η βιβλιοθήκη διαθέτει αντίτυπο του βιβλίου σε έντυπη μορφή με ταξινομικό αριθμό: SF271.B56Ένα μοναδικό βιβλίο στην ελληνική αγορά που περιγράφει όλη την διαδικασία παραγωγής του τυριού στο σπίτι όσο και στο τυροκομείο από το α έως το ωμέγα . Με εκπληκτικές και εύκολες συνταγές ο αναγνώστης μπορεί να μάθει να φτιάχνει μια τεράστια ποικιλία τυριών από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό μόνος στο σπίτι. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δίνεται στα ελληνικά τυριά όπου περιγράφονται και αναλύονται 34 τυριά από όλη την στερεά και νησιωτική χώρα ενώ σε πολλά από αυτά περιγράφεται και η οικοπαρασκευή τους! Όλο ο βιβλίο περιλαμβάνει σε πλήρη ανάλυση 100 τυριά από 10 χώρες χωρισμένα σε 13 κατηγορίες καλύπτοντας όλα το ευρύτερο γνωστό φάσμα τυριών στην ελληνική αγορά