Why Are Weissella spp. Not Used as Commercial Starter Cultures for Food Fermentation?
UMR C-95 QualiSud, Université de La Réunion, CIRAD, Université Montpellier, Montpellier SupAgro, Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, F-97490 Sainte Clotilde, France
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Fermentation 2017, 3(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation3030038
Received: 25 June 2017 / Revised: 10 July 2017 / Accepted: 14 July 2017 / Published: 3 August 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioactive Metabolites)
Among other fermentation processes, lactic acid fermentation is a valuable process which enhances the safety, nutritional and sensory properties of food. The use of starters is recommended compared to spontaneous fermentation, from a safety point of view but also to ensure a better control of product functional and sensory properties. Starters are used for dairy products, sourdough, wine, meat, sauerkraut and homemade foods and beverages from dairy or vegetal origin. Among lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Pediococcus are the majors genera used as starters whereas Weissella is not. Weissella spp. are frequently isolated from spontaneous fermented foods and participate to the characteristics of the fermented product. They possess a large set of functional and technological properties, which can enhance safety, nutritional and sensory characteristics of food. Particularly, Weissella cibaria and Weissella confusa have been described as high producers of exo-polysaccharides, which exhibit texturizing properties. Numerous bacteriocins have been purified from Weissella hellenica strains and may be used as bio-preservative. Some Weissella strains are able to decarboxylate polymeric phenolic compounds resulting in a better bioavailability. Other Weissella strains showed resistance to low pH and bile salts and were isolated from healthy human feces, suggesting their potential as probiotics. Despite all these features, the use of Weissella spp. as commercial starters remained non-investigated. Potential biogenic amine production, antibiotic resistance pattern or infection hazard partly explains this neglecting. Besides, Weissella spp. are not recognized as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). However, Weissella spp. are potential powerful starters for food fermentation as well as Lactococcus, Leuconostoc or Lactobacillus species.
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Keywords:
Weissella; food fermentation; starter culture
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MDPI and ACS Style
Fessard, A.; Remize, F. Why Are Weissella spp. Not Used as Commercial Starter Cultures for Food Fermentation? Fermentation 2017, 3, 38. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation3030038
AMA Style
Fessard A, Remize F. Why Are Weissella spp. Not Used as Commercial Starter Cultures for Food Fermentation? Fermentation. 2017; 3(3):38. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation3030038
Chicago/Turabian StyleFessard, Amandine; Remize, Fabienne. 2017. "Why Are Weissella spp. Not Used as Commercial Starter Cultures for Food Fermentation?" Fermentation 3, no. 3: 38. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation3030038
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