Potential of High Pressure Homogenization and Functional Strains for the Development of Novel Functional Dairy Foods

Functional foods are one of the fastest increasing fields in the global food industry since they are positively perceived by the consumers as dietary strategies to reduce the incidence of illness in the humankind. Actually, the use of biotechnological strategies, based on the use of functional and specific strains and sustainable technologies, such as high-pressure homogenization, can be a great chance to create innovation in the dairy field. Critical discussion on the actual scenario is the main topic of this chapter

Volatile Molecule Profiles and Anti-Listeria monocytogenes Activity of Nisin Producers Lactococcus lactis Strains in Vegetable Drinks

This work aimed to evaluate the potential of 15 nisin producing Lactococcus lactis strains, isolated from dairy products, for the fermentation of soymilk and carrot juice. In particular, the acidification and the production of nisin in the food matrices were recorded. Moreover, three strains (LBG2, FBG1P, and 3LC39), that showed the most promising results were further scrutinized for their anti-Listeria monocytogenes activity and volatile molecules profile during fermentation of soymilk and carrot juice. Lactococcus lactis strains LBG2, FBG1P, and 3LC39 resulted the most interesting ones, showing rapid growth and acidification on both food matrices. The higher amounts of nisin were detected in soymilk samples fermented by the strain LBG2 after 24 and 48 h (26.4 mg/L). Furthermore, the rapid acidification combined with the production of nisin resulted in a strong anti-Listeria activity, reducing the pathogen loads below the detection limit, in carrot juice samples fermented by the strains LBG2 and FBG1P and in soymilk by the strain LBG2. The fermentation increased the presence of volatile molecules such as aldehydes and ketones with a positive impact on the organoleptic profile of both the fermented products. These results highlighted the interesting potential of three nisin producing L. lactis strains for the production of fermented carrot juice and soymilk. In fact, the fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, combined or not with other mild technologies, represents a good strategy for the microbiological stabilization of these products. Furthermore, the increase of molecules with a positive sensory impact, such as aldehydes and ketones, in the fermented products suggests a possible improvement of their organoleptic characteristics

Role of Yeasts on the Sensory Component of Wines

The aromatic complexity of a wine is mainly influenced by the interaction between grapes and fermentation agents. This interaction is very complex and affected by numerous factors, such as cultivars, degree of grape ripeness, climate, mashing techniques, must chemical-physical characteristics, yeasts used in the fermentation process and their interactions with the grape endogenous microbiota, process parameters (including new non-thermal technologies), malolactic fermentation (when desired), and phenomena occurring during aging. However, the role of yeasts in the formation of aroma compounds has been universally recognized. In fact, yeasts (as starters or naturally occurring microbiota) can contribute both with the formation of compounds deriving from the primary metabolism, with the synthesis of specific metabolites, and with the modification of molecules present in the must. Among secondary metabolites, key roles are recognized for esters, higher alcohols, volatile phenols, sulfur molecules, and carbonyl compounds. Moreover, some specific enzymatic activities of yeasts, linked above all to non-Saccharomyces species, can contribute to increasing the sensory profile of the wine thanks to the release of volatile terpenes or other molecules. Therefore, this review will highlight the main aroma compounds produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts of oenological interest in relation to process conditions, new non-thermal technologies, and microbial interactions

Use of Yarrowia lipolytica to Obtain Fish Waste Functional Hydrolysates Rich in Flavoring Compounds

Fishery processing industries generate large amounts of by-products. These by-products come from fish heads, skin, bones, thorns, and viscera. The disposal of these wastes represents an increasing environmental and health problem. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in how to utilize fish materials that are not used for human consumption. Among the different solutions proposed, the use of proteolytic and lipolytic microorganisms represents a green solution for waste valorization. In this work, first we screened several conventional and non-conventioal microorganisms for their proteolytic and lipolytic functions. Then, the most promising strains (Yarrowia lipolytica YL2, Y. lipolytica YL4, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens B5M and B. subtilis B5C) were tested on a fish waste-based solution. After 72 h incubation at room temperature, the supernatants obtained using the strains of Y. lipolytica showed the highest degree of hydrolysis (10.03 and 11.80%, respectively, for YL2 and YL4), the strongest antioxidant activity (86.4% in DPPH assay for YL2) and the highest formation of aldehydes (above 50% of the total volatile compounds detected). Hydrolysates of fish waste obtained with Y. lipolytica may be reused in feed and food formulations for their functional and flavoring characteristics

Suitability of the Nisin Z-producer Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CBM 21 to be Used as an Adjunct Culture for Squacquerone Cheese Production

This research investigated the technological and safety effects of the nisin Z producer Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CBM 21, tested as an adjunct culture for the making of Squacquerone cheese in a pilot-scale plant. The biocontrol agent remained at a high level throughout the cheese refrigerated storage, without having a negative influence on the viability of the conventional Streptococcus thermophilus starter. The inclusion of CBM 21 in Squacquerone cheesemaking proved to be more effective compared to the traditional one, to reduce total coliforms and Pseudomonas spp. Moreover, the novel/innovative adjunct culture tested did not negatively modify the proteolytic patterns of Squacquerone cheese, but it gave rise to products with specific volatile and texture profiles. The cheese produced with CBM 21 was more appreciated by the panelists with respect to the traditional one

Flow Cytometric Assessment of the Morphological and Physiological Changes of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli in Response to Natural Antimicrobial Exposure

Essential oils (EOs) or their components represent one of the most promising natural, safe, and feasible alternatives to prevent the growth of food-borne pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli in food matrices. Although antimicrobial properties of EOs and their components are well-documented, limited and fragmented information is available on the changes induced by these compounds, even at sub-lethal concentrations, in the physiological properties of microbial cells. The aim of this study was to explore the morpho-physiological changes of L. monocytogenes Scott A and E. coli MG 1655 induced after 1 h exposure to different sub-lethal and lethal concentrations of citral, carvacrol, (E)-2-hexenal, and thyme EO. For this purpose, different cell viability parameters such as membrane integrity, esterase activity, and cytoplasmic cell membrane potential were measured by flow cytometry. Flow cytometric data revealed specific response patterns in relation to the strain, the natural antimicrobial and its concentrations. Both the target microbial strains showed an increased cell membrane permeabilization without a loss of esterase activity and cell membrane potential with increasing citral, carvacrol and thyme EO concentrations. By contrast, (E)-2-hexenal did not significantly affect the measured physiological properties of L. monocytogenes Scott A and E. coli MG 1655. The used approach allowed identifying the most effective natural antimicrobials in relation to the microbial target. Copyright © 2018 Braschi, Patrignani, Siroli, Lanciotti, Schlueter and Froehling

Use of Lactobacillus crispatus to produce a probiotic cheese as potential gender food for preventing gynaecological infections

This research is aimed to evaluate the suitability of Squacquerone cheese to support the viability of Lactobacillus crispatus BC4, a vaginal strain endowed with a strong antimicrobial activity against urogenital pathogens and foodborne microorganisms, in order to recommend a gender food for woman wellbeing. The viability of L. crispatus BC4, used as adjunct culture, was evaluated during the refrigerated storage of Squacquerone cheese, as well as when the cheese was subjected to simulated stomach-duodenum passage tested by the patented Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME). Moreover, the effects of L. crispatus BC4 addition were evaluated on product hydrolytic patterns, in terms of proteolysis, lipolysis and volatile molecule profiles. The data showed that L. crispatus BC4 maintained high viability, also in presence of physiological stress conditions, until the end of the refrigerated storage. Moreover, the inclusion of L. crispatus BC4 gave rise to cheese product with higher score of overall acceptability when compared to control cheese. In addition, the survival of L. crispatus BC4, carried in test cheese, in gastro intestinal conditions was confirmed by SHIME. The results showed that the vaginal Lactobacillus strain was more affected by the low pH of the stomach, simulated by the SHIME reactor, rather than to bile salts and pancreatic juices. Although only in vivo trials will be able to confirm the functionality of the cheese in the vaginal environment, these data represent a first step towards the employment of the Squacquerone cheese as probiotic food able to promote the woman's health by preventing gynaecological infections

Effects of Sub-Lethal High Pressure Homogenization Treatment on the Adhesion Mechanisms and Stress Response Genes in Lactobacillus acidophilus 08

Cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and adhesion are very important phenotypical traits for probiotics that confer them a competitive advantage for the resilience in the human gastrointestinal tract. This study was aimed to understand the effects over time of a 50 MPa hyperbaric treatment on the surface properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus 08 including CSH, autoaggregation, and in vitro adhesion (mucin layer and Caco-2 cells). Moreover, a link between the hurdle applied and the expression of genes involved in the general stress response (groEL and clpP) and adhesion processes (efTu and slpA) was evaluated. High pressure homogenization (HPH) at 50 MPa significantly increased the CSH percentage (H%), autoaggregation and in vitro adhesion on mucin of L. acidophilus 08 cells compared with the untreated cells. Moreover, the hyperbaric hurdle induced an upregulation of the stress response genes groEL and ef-TU together with a down regulation of the clpP and S-layer slpA genes. Looking at the protein profile, HPHtreatment showed an increase in the number or intensity of protein bands at high and low molecular weights

Ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration of organic cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccus): Study on quality parameters evolution during storage.

Cranberries are appreciated for their high amount of antioxidants such as flavonoids, anthocyanins,phenolic acids, carotenoids and vitamins. However, due to their sour and tart taste they request to beprocessed into sweeter dried fruits in order to be acceptable for the consumers. The aim of this work wasto analyse the effect of ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration on mass transfer parameters and onquality characteristics during storage of cranberries. Ultrasound treatment was performed at the fre-quency of 21 kHz for 30 min in three osmotic solutions - 61.5% sucrose, 30% sucrose with an addition of0.1% of steviol glycosides and 40% trehalose on cut in half cranberries. Afterwards, the cranberry sampleswere subjected to osmotic dehydration process at 40C for 72 h. The osmodehydrated samples both withor without ultrasound pre-treatment were collected and stored at 10C in climatic chamber in micro-perforated plastic bags (PLA) for 8 weeks. The weight reduction, dry matter, water activity, colour, andmicrobiological analysis were performed after 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks of storage. The obtained resultsindicated that ultrasound application significantly affected the mass transfer parameters during osmotictreatment, as well as it did the type of osmotic solution used. Thermal analysis showed variations insugar melting temperature and enthalpy as a result of osmotic treatment and storage. During the storage,lower weight loss and higher lightness were observed in US pre-treated samples. The sample thatpreserved the best chemico-physical and microbiological characteristics during storage was the onetreated with 61.5% sucrose solution, due to its lowest water activity

Development and characterization of fermented soy beverages containing encapsulated or non-encapsulated vaginal probiotics

Human microbial niches such as the healthy vagina, are recently emerging as “unconventional” sources of candidate probiotics capable of preventing from different vaginal diseases. These microorganisms could be provided as oral preparations since they can reach the vaginal niche passing through the gastrointestinal tract. However, their use in food would be challenging. The aim of this work was to develop and characterize fermented soy beverages with encapsulated and non-encapsulated vaginal lactobacilli, namely Lactobacillus crispatus BC4 and Lactobacillus gasseri BC9, as future dietary strategies for vaginal dysbiosis. The viability of vaginal strains remained stable at 7 log CFU/mL of product during the entire 28 days of storage, despite the use of encapsulated or non-encapsulated bacteria. Samples containing encapsulated bacteria, especially E-BC4+BC9, showed higher Water Holding Capacity (62.29%), lactic acid content (1.43%), and a remarkable antagonistic activity against enteropathogens. Moreover, encapsulation protected the strains from simulated GIT conditions (>1 Log) but reduced the acceptability of the final products. Overall, strain BC4 and BC9, alone or in mix, demonstrated to be promising co-starter cultures providing a characteristic flavor (pleasant smell and taste) and aroma (lower hexanal, benzaldehyde and higher diacetyl, and 2,3-pentanedione, compared to control) to the fermented soy beverages