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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability
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Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2025 | Viewed by 5245

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco Montemurro

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Guest Editor
Institute of Sciences of Food Production ISPA, Italian National Research Council, Rome‎, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; bioactive compounds; sourdough; lactic acid bacteria; bioplastic; starter selection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Interests: food microbiology; bioactive compounds; sourdough; lactic acid bacteria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biotechnologies have been widely used in food production for thousands of years. Nevertheless, new approaches have recently been proposed to meet the market demand for high-quality and sustainable products.

Innovative fermentation bioprocesses can include alternative ingredients, by-products, and waste derived from the agrifood sector, and often start with the characterization of the associated matrices and their microbiota. The fermentation performance and enzymatic activity of potential starters, the synthesis of functional compounds, the degradation of antinutritional factors, and the improvement of quality have played roles in the formulation of new food ingredients and products. Moreover, innovative non-food materials (e.g., feed, bioplastic, biofuels, and fertilizers) can be produced through the fermentation of food by-products.

The aim of this Special Issue is to compile original research articles and systematic reviews that focus on the valorization of alternative food matrices, by-products, and waste obtained through fermentation, as well as biotechnologies related to the production of traditional fermented ingredients and food products.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the set-up of new biotechnological processes, the characterization of the microbial community or starters involved in fermentation processes, and the characterization of the obtained products.

Dr. Marco Montemurro
Prof. Dr. Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food
  • production
  • fermentation
  • microbial community
  • bioprocesses

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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34 pages, 3979 KiB  
Article
Cross-Over Application of Algerian Dairy Lactic Acid Bacteria for the Design of Plant-Based Products: Characterization of Weissella cibaria and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum for the Formulation of Quinoa-Based Beverage
by Radjaa Cirat, Zineb Benmechernene, Hülya Cunedioğlu, Mariacinzia Rutigliano, Angela Scauro, Khaled Abderrahmani, Kihal Mebrouk, Vittorio Capozzi, Giuseppe Spano, Barbara la Gatta, Maria Teresa Rocchetti, Daniela Fiocco and Mariagiovanna Fragasso
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 2042; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12102042 - 9 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1020
Abstract
The food industry constantly seeks new starter cultures with superior characteristics to enhance the sensory and overall quality of final products. Starting from a collection of Algerian dairy (goat and camel) lactic acid bacteria, this work focused on the exploration of the technological [...] Read more.
The food industry constantly seeks new starter cultures with superior characteristics to enhance the sensory and overall quality of final products. Starting from a collection of Algerian dairy (goat and camel) lactic acid bacteria, this work focused on the exploration of the technological and probiotic potential of Weissella cibaria (VR81 and LVT1) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum R12 strains isolated from raw camel milk and fermented milk, respectively. These bioactive strains were selected for their high performance among ten other LAB strains and were used as starter cultures to develop a novel and nutritionally enhanced dairy-like plant-based yogurt using quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) as a raw matrix. The strains were evaluated for their antagonistic effects against Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resilience to acidic and osmotic challenges, and tolerance to gastrointestinal mimicking conditions (i.e., pepsin and bile salt). Their aggregation and adhesion profiles were also analyzed. Furthermore, L. plantarum and W. cibaria were tested in single and co-culture for the fermentation and biocontrol of quinoa. The strains exhibited probiotic properties, including a high potential for biocontrol applications, specifically against L. innocua and P. aeruginosa (20 mm diameter zone with the neutralized cell-free supernatant), which disappeared after protease treatment, suggesting that bioactive peptides might be responsible for the observed antimicrobial effect. Additionally, they demonstrated resilience to acidic (pH 2) and osmotic challenges (1M sucrose), tolerance to gastro-intestinal conditions, as well as good aggregation and adhesion profile. Furthermore, the strains were able to produce metabolites of interest, such as exopolysaccharide (yielding up to 4.7 mg/mL) and riboflavin, reaching considerable production levels of 2.5 mg/L upon roseoflavin selection. The application of W. cibaria and L. plantarum as primary starters (both in single and co-culture) for fermenting quinoa resulted in effective acidification of the matrix (ΔpH of 2.03 units) and high-quality beverage production. in vivo challenge tests against L. innocua showed the complete inhibition of this pathogen when L. plantarum was included in the starter, either alone or in combination with W. cibaria. Both species also inhibited Staphylococcus and filamentous fungi. Moreover, the co-culture of mutant strains of L. plantarum R12d and W. cibaria VR81d produced riboflavin levels of 175.41 µg/100 g in fermented quinoa, underscoring their potential as starters for the fermentation, biopreservation, and biofortification of quinoa while also displaying promising probiotic characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability)
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17 pages, 2143 KiB  
Article
Two-Stage Screening of Metschnikowia spp. Bioprotective Properties: From Grape Juice to Fermented Must by Saccharomyces cerevisiae
by Julie Aragno, Pascale Fernandez-Valle, Angèle Thiriet, Cécile Grondin, Jean-Luc Legras, Carole Camarasa and Audrey Bloem
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1659; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081659 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 947
Abstract
Gluconobacter oxydans (Go) and Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Bb) are detrimental micro-organisms compromising wine quality through the production of acetic acid and undesirable aromas. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts, like Metschnikowia species, offer a bioprotective approach to control spoilage micro-organisms growth. Antagonist effects of forty-six Metschnikowia strains [...] Read more.
Gluconobacter oxydans (Go) and Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Bb) are detrimental micro-organisms compromising wine quality through the production of acetic acid and undesirable aromas. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts, like Metschnikowia species, offer a bioprotective approach to control spoilage micro-organisms growth. Antagonist effects of forty-six Metschnikowia strains in a co-culture with Go or Bb in commercial grape juice were assessed. Three profiles were observed against Go: no effect, complete growth inhibition, and intermediate bioprotection. In contrast, Metschnikowia strains exhibited two profiles against Bb: no effect and moderate inhibition. These findings indicate a stronger antagonistic capacity against Go compared to Bb. Four promising Metschnikowia strains were selected and their bioprotective impact was investigated at lower temperatures in Chardonnay must. The antagonistic effect against Go was stronger at 16 °C compared to 20 °C, while no significant impact on Bb growth was observed. The bioprotection impact on Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation has been assessed. Metschnikowia strains’ presence did not affect the fermentation time, but lowered the fermentation rate of S. cerevisiae. An analysis of central carbon metabolism and volatile organic compounds revealed a strain-dependent enhancement in the production of metabolites, including glycerol, acetate esters, medium-chain fatty acids, and ethyl esters. These findings suggest Metschnikowia species’ potential for bioprotection in winemaking and wine quality through targeted strain selection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability)
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23 pages, 9218 KiB  
Article
Screening the Protective Agents Able to Improve the Survival of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Subjected to Spray Drying Using Several Key Enzymes Responsible for Carbohydrate Utilization
by Jing Liu, Shanshan Xie, Mengfan Xu, Xiaoying Jiang, Qian Wang, Hongfei Zhao and Bolin Zhang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(6), 1094; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061094 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1041
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the most effective protectants for enhancing the viability of specific lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CICC 6097, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CICC 21839, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM) by assessing their enzymatic activity when exposed to spray [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to identify the most effective protectants for enhancing the viability of specific lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CICC 6097, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CICC 21839, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM) by assessing their enzymatic activity when exposed to spray drying (inlet/outlet temperature: 135 °C/90 °C). Firstly, it was found that the live cell counts of the selected LAB cells from the 10% (w/v) recovered skim milk (RSM) group remained above 107 CFU/g after spray drying. Among all the three groups (1% w/v RSM group, 10% w/v RSM group, and control group), the two enzymes pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were more sensitive to spray drying than hexokinase (HK) and β-galactosidase (β-GAL). Next, transcriptome data of Lb. acidophilus NCFM showed that 10% (w/v) RSM improved the down-regulated expressions of genes encoding PK (pyk) and LDH (ldh) after spray drying compared to 1% (w/v) RSM. Finally, four composite protectants were created, each consisting of 10% (w/v) RSM plus a different additive—sodium glutamate (CP-A group), sucrose (CP-B group), trehalose (CP-C group), or a combination of sodium glutamate, sucrose, and trehalose (CP-D group)—to encapsulate Lb. acidophilus NCFM. It was observed that the viable counts of strain NCFM (8.56 log CFU/g) and enzymatic activity of PK and LDH in the CP-D group were best preserved compared to the other three groups. Therefore, our study suggested that measuring the LDH and PK activity could be used as a promising tool to screen the effective spray-dried protective agent for LAB cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability)
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Review

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19 pages, 1931 KiB  
Review
Bioplastic Production from Agri-Food Waste through the Use of Haloferax mediterranei: A Comprehensive Initial Overview
by Angela Longo, Francesca Fanelli, Marianna Villano, Marco Montemurro and Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello
Microorganisms 2024, 12(6), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061038 - 21 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
The research on bioplastics (both biobased and biodegradable) is steadily growing and discovering environmentally friendly substitutes for conventional plastic. This review highlights the significance of bioplastics, analyzing, for the first time, the state of the art concerning the use of agri-food waste as [...] Read more.
The research on bioplastics (both biobased and biodegradable) is steadily growing and discovering environmentally friendly substitutes for conventional plastic. This review highlights the significance of bioplastics, analyzing, for the first time, the state of the art concerning the use of agri-food waste as an alternative substrate for biopolymer generation using Haloferax mediterranei. H. mediterranei is a highly researched strain able to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) since it can grow and produce bioplastic in high-salinity environments without requiring sterilization. Extensive research has been conducted on the genes and pathways responsible for PHB production using H. mediterranei to find out how fermentation parameters can be regulated to enhance cell growth and increase PHB accumulation. This review focuses on the current advancements in utilizing food waste as a substitute for costly substrates to reduce feedstock expenses. Specifically, it examines the production of biomass and the recovery of PHB from agri-food waste. Furthermore, it emphasizes the characterization of PHB and the significance of hydroxyvalerate (HV) abundance in the formation of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) copolymer. The downstream processing options are described, and the crucial factors associated with industrial scale-up are assessed, including substrates, bioreactors, process parameters, and bioplastic extraction and purification. Additionally, the economic implications of various options are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Fermentation, Food and Food Sustainability)
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