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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Food Microbiota and Food Safety
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Food Microbiota and Food Safety

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 5150

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pedro Rodríguez-López

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Guest Editor
Food Hygiene and Inspection Unit, Department of Animal and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Interests: food safety; biofilms; antimicrobial resistance; disinfection; microbial ecology; foodborne bacteria; OMICS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aleksandra Maria Kocot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
Interests: food safety, food protection, biofilm, antimicrobial, probiotic, functional food, lactic acid bacteria, LAB
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, many scientific studies focus on the human microbiota and its role in shaping the health and general well-being of the individual. Less attention is paid to the microbiota of food, and food products also have a natural, product-specific set of microbes. Bacteria occurring naturally in food affect the formation of the sensory characteristic properties of a given product. However, as in humans, the food microbiota undergoes dynamic changes due to factors such as temperature, pH or salinity. Among the natural microbiota of food, bacteria can be divided into good and bad, but it should be remembered that food must meet safety criteria, including microbiological safety, so as not to threaten the health and life of consumers. Therefore, it is reasonable to monitor changes in the food microbiota at various stages of food turnover in order to maintain food safety. On the other hand, the natural microbiota of food also contains microorganisms (e.g., lactic acid bacteria (LAB)) that show antagonism towards foodborne pathogens, protecting food against contamination and ensuring food safety. Therefore, we invite scholars to share their knowledge of the food microbiota and its impact on food safety in our Special Issue.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. The influence of food storage conditions (temperature, pH, oxygen, time, etc.) on changes in food microbiota and/or on the multiplication of undesirable microorganisms in food.
  2. New insight into interspecies interactions between bacteria providing protection against contamination.
  3. The identification of natural food microbiota metabolites as potential antimicrobials protecting against pathogen invasion.
  4. Evaluation of the microbiological quality of food in light of applicable provisions of food law.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Pedro Rodríguez-López
Dr. Aleksandra Maria Kocot
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 microbiota
  • food safety
  • food protection
  • bacterial interaction
  • foodborne pathogen
  • antimicrobial
  • contamination
  • lactic acid bacteria
  • LAB

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Leuconostoc gelidum Is the Major Species Responsible for the Spoilage of Cooked Sausage Packaged in a Modified Atmosphere, and Hop Extract Is the Best Inhibitor Tested
by Giuseppe Comi, Andrea Colautti, Cristian Edoardo Maria Bernardi, Simone Stella, Elisabetta Orecchia, Francesca Coppola and Lucilla Iacumin
Microorganisms 2024, 12(6), 1175; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061175 - 10 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1449
Abstract
Cooked sausages packaged in a modified atmosphere (MAP: 20% CO2, 70% N2, <0.2% O2) with evident yellow stains were analyzed. The aims of this work were to study the microbial cause of the spoilage and to evaluate different [...] Read more.
Cooked sausages packaged in a modified atmosphere (MAP: 20% CO2, 70% N2, <0.2% O2) with evident yellow stains were analyzed. The aims of this work were to study the microbial cause of the spoilage and to evaluate different antimicrobial compounds to prevent it. Leuconostoc gelidum was identified as the primary cause of the yellow coating in spoiled cooked sausage, as confirmed by its intentional inoculation on slices of unspoiled sausage. Leuconostoc gelidum was the main bacteria responsible for the yellow coating in spoiled cooked sausage, as confirmed by its intentional inoculation on slices of unspoiled sausage. The yellow color was also evident during growth in the model system containing cooked sausage extract, but the colonies on MRS agar appeared white, demonstrating that the food substrate stimulated the production of the yellow pigment. The spoilage was also characterized by different volatile compounds, including ketones, ethanol, acetic acid, and ethyl acetate, found in the spoiled cooked sausage packages. These compounds explained the activity of Leuc. gelidum because they are typical of heterofermentative LAB, cultivated either on food substrates or in artificial broths. Leuc. gelidum also produced slight swelling in the spoiled packages. The efficacy of different antimicrobials was assessed in model systems composed of cooked sausage extract with the antimicrobials added at food product concentrations. The data showed that sodium lactate, sodium acetate, and a combination of sodium lactate and sodium diacetate could only slow the growth of the spoiler—they could not stop it from occurring. Conversely, hop extract inhibited Leuc. gelidum, showing a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of approximately 0.008 mg CAE/mL in synthetic broth and 4 mg CAE/kg in cooked sausage slices. Adding hop extract at the MIC did not allow Leuc. gelidum growth and did not change the sensorial characteristics of the cooked sausages. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the antimicrobial activities of hop extracts against Leuc. gelidum either in vitro or in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Microbiota and Food Safety)
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12 pages, 2969 KiB  
Article
Addressing the Concern of Orange-Yellow Fungus Growth on Palm Kernel Cake: Safeguarding Dairy Cattle Diets for Mycotoxin-Producing Fungi
by Carlos Bastidas-Caldes, David Vasco-Julio, Maria Huilca-Ibarra, Salomé Guerrero-Freire, Yanua Ledesma-Bravo and Jacobus H. de Waard
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050937 - 5 May 2024
Viewed by 1775
Abstract
Palm kernel cake (PKC), a byproduct of palm oil extraction, serves an important role in Ecuador’s animal feed industry. The emergence of yellow-orange fungal growth in PKC on some cattle farms in Ecuador sparked concerns within the cattle industry regarding a potential mycotoxin-producing [...] Read more.
Palm kernel cake (PKC), a byproduct of palm oil extraction, serves an important role in Ecuador’s animal feed industry. The emergence of yellow-orange fungal growth in PKC on some cattle farms in Ecuador sparked concerns within the cattle industry regarding a potential mycotoxin-producing fungus on this substrate. Due to the limited availability of analytical chemistry techniques in Ecuador for mycotoxin detection, we chose to isolate and identify the fungus to determine its association with mycotoxin-producing genera. Through molecular identification via ITS region sequencing, we identified the yellow-orange fungus as the yeast Candida ethanolica. Furthermore, we isolated two other fungi—the yeast Pichia kudriavzevii, and the fungus Geotrichum candidum. Molecular identification confirmed that all three species are not classified as mycotoxin-producing fungi but in contrast, the literature indicates that all three have demonstrated antifungal activity against Aspergillus and Penicillium species, genera associated with mycotoxin production. This suggests their potential use in biocontrol to counter the colonization of harmful fungi. We discuss preventive measures against the fungal invasion of PKC and emphasize the importance of promptly identifying fungi on this substrate. Rapid recognition of mycotoxin-producing and pathogenic genera holds the promise of mitigating cattle intoxication and the dissemination of mycotoxins throughout the food chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Microbiota and Food Safety)
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24 pages, 3225 KiB  
Article
Genomic Characterization of Wild Lactobacillus delbrueckii Strains Reveals Low Diversity but Strong Typicity
by Anna Grizon, Sébastien Theil, Sandra Helinck, Pauline Gerber, Pascal Bonnarme and Christophe Chassard
Microorganisms 2024, 12(3), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12030512 - 2 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1481
Abstract
Investigating the diversity of a given species could give clues for the development of autochthonous starter cultures. However, few studies have focused on the intraspecies diversity of Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains, a technologically important lactic acid bacterium for the dairy industry. For this reason, [...] Read more.
Investigating the diversity of a given species could give clues for the development of autochthonous starter cultures. However, few studies have focused on the intraspecies diversity of Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains, a technologically important lactic acid bacterium for the dairy industry. For this reason, Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains from the Saint-Nectaire Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) area were isolated and characterized. Genetic diversity was determined based on core genome phylogenetic reconstruction and pangenome analysis, while phenotypic assessments encompassed proteolysis and volatile compound production potential. A total of 15 L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis unique new strains were obtained. The genetic analysis and further proteolytic activities measurement revealed low variability among these Saint-Nectaire strains, while substantial genetic variability was observed within the L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis subspecies as a whole. The volatile compound profiles slightly differed among strains, and some strains produced volatile compounds that could be of particular interest for cheese flavor development. While the genetic diversity among Saint-Nectaire strains was relatively modest compared to overall subspecies diversity, their distinct characteristics and pronounced differentiation from publicly available genomes position them as promising candidates for developing autochthonous starter cultures for cheese production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Microbiota and Food Safety)
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