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Advances in Food Microbiology and Its Role in Food Processing

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2024) | Viewed by 8703

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, 28 Agiou Spiridonos Str., 12243 Athens, Greece
Interests: foodborne pathogens; food safety; hygiene; food microbiology; food biotechnology; food quality; food and health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of West Attica, 28 Agiou Spiridonos Str., 12243 Athens, Greece
Interests: food biotechnology foodborne pathogens; food chemistry; food safety; molecular detection methods; microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food microbiology plays a vital role throughout the cycle of food production starting from the stage of animal or agricultural farming and to food processing, packaging, preservation, storage, food preparation, food consumption, digestion, and finally food waste management.

The role of food microbiology in the food industry focuses on analyzing various microorganisms that can be classified generally in three main categories: the pathogenic microorganisms that may cause serious public health problems, the spoilage microorganisms that render foods unacceptable for consumption, and the probiotic microorganisms that participate in fermentations and form the basis of beneficial functional foods.

This Special Issue will be dedicated to advances in food microbiology and its role in food processing and aims to investigate all the various roles of microorganisms in food production and processing, such as methods for identification, enumeration, and elimination of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria or fungi, assessment of the survival of microorganisms in various treatments, detection of bacterial or fungal toxins, bacterial spores, antimicrobial effects of various compounds, microbial kinetics, food and beverage fermentations, microencapsulation of probiotics, interaction of gut microbiota with food components, microbial biotechnological processes of foods, production of microbial protein, microbial exploitation of food waste, and others.

Dr. Batrinou Anthimia
Dr. Dimitra Houhoula
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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 microbiology
  • microorganisms in food production and processing
  • pathogenic and spoilage bacteria
  • fungi
  • detection methods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 998 KiB  
Article
Effect of Non-Saccharomyces Species Monocultures on Alcoholic Fermentation Behavior and Aromatic Profile of Assyrtiko Wine
by Aikaterini Tzamourani, Alexandra Evangelou, George Ntourtoglou, Georgia Lytra, Ioannis Paraskevopoulos and Maria Dimopoulou
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041522 - 14 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1141
Abstract
Six wild-type non-Saccharomyces strains, belonging to the species Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Priceomyces carsonii, Trigonopsis californica, and Pichia manshurica, were evaluated for white wine production using Assyrtiko grapes from Santorini in Greece. Fermentation kinetics, in terms of glucose and fructose consumption and [...] Read more.
Six wild-type non-Saccharomyces strains, belonging to the species Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Priceomyces carsonii, Trigonopsis californica, and Pichia manshurica, were evaluated for white wine production using Assyrtiko grapes from Santorini in Greece. Fermentation kinetics, in terms of glucose and fructose consumption and sensory analysis, was first employed to test the enological potential of the yeast strains. Based on their performance, two strains of Z. bailii (Zb-A19Y5 and Zb-K29Y2) and one strain of T. californica (Tc-A9Y1) selected for further analysis. The selected strains were tested in larger fermentation volumes for sugar consumption, while the produced wines were assessed for classical enological parameters, volatile compounds (GC/MS), and sensory analysis. Tc-A9Y1 could lead to dry wine (1 g/L of residual sugars) with 1.6 vol (12%) less alcohol than the other experimental wines. The wines that were fermented with the strain Zb-K29Y2 exhibited very high concentrations of isoamyl alcohol (604.33 ± 76.8 mg/L), but at the same time, they were characterized by low fruity notes. None of the produced wines presented any off-flavor aromas. Exploiting non-Saccharomyces strains with great fermentation capacity, which are able to produce high-quality wines and adapted to global warming conditions, is a new challenge for the wine industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Microbiology and Its Role in Food Processing)
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19 pages, 18775 KiB  
Article
Enriching Cured Meat Products with Bioactive Compounds Recovered from Rosa damascena and Rosmarinus officinalis L. Distillation By-Products: The Pursuit of Natural Antimicrobials to Reduce the Use of Nitrites
by Spyridon J. Konteles, Natalia A. Stavropoulou, Ioanna V. Thanou, Elizabeth Mouka, Vasileios Kousiaris, George N. Stoforos, Eleni Gogou and Maria C. Giannakourou
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(24), 13085; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132413085 - 7 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1608
Abstract
Endogenously formed N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) from nitrite use in red meat have been recently linked to the risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, replacing sodium nitrite (E250) with natural antimicrobials, such as bioactive compounds, is an issue of great industrial and scientific interest. [...] Read more.
Endogenously formed N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) from nitrite use in red meat have been recently linked to the risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, replacing sodium nitrite (E250) with natural antimicrobials, such as bioactive compounds, is an issue of great industrial and scientific interest. In this research, such compounds were extracted from rose petal (Rosa damascena) and rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) by-products of the essential oil industry and appropriately introduced in commercial cured meat products, as partial nitrite replacers. Shelf-life tests demonstrated an inhibitory effect of the rose extracts on microbial growth, obtaining similar or reduced growth rates and a prolonged lag phase, when compared to conventionally produced samples (CNT): μmax,ref = 0.128 vs. 0.166 d−1 and λref = 15.9 vs. 12.4 d at 4 °C, respectively. None of the bacon samples suffered from lipid oxidation in the examined period. The RSE samples (containing the rose extract and half of the nitrites) exhibited a good retention of their red color, receiving an acceptable sensory score throughout storage. Since the proposed partial nitrite replacement leads to an important shelf-life extension, namely 78 d (RSE) vs. 60 d (CNT), our results provide preliminary proof of the potential use and valorization of such side streams as effective natural antimicrobial agents for cured meat products, in order to reduce the use of nitrites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Microbiology and Its Role in Food Processing)
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10 pages, 477 KiB  
Article
The Detection of Bacterial Pathogens, including Emerging Klebsiella pneumoniae, Associated with Mastitis in the Milk of Ruminant Species
by Efstathia Tsakali, Andreas G. Tsantes, Dimitra Houhoula, George P. Laliotis, Anthimia Batrinou, Panagiotis Halvatsiotis and Argyrios E. Tsantes
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11484; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011484 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1444
Abstract
Milk is an excellent medium for the growth of several bacteria and other microorganisms and thus, it has been extensively studied. An always current issue in the dairy industry is mastitis, which causes losses in milk volume and profits. In many cases, milk [...] Read more.
Milk is an excellent medium for the growth of several bacteria and other microorganisms and thus, it has been extensively studied. An always current issue in the dairy industry is mastitis, which causes losses in milk volume and profits. In many cases, milk is used raw or treated at low temperatures for further dairy processes while there are quite a few cases in which foodborne-related outbreaks have occurred. Both culture-based methods and PCR were used to assess the presence of certain pathogens related to both contagious and environmental pathogens, especially the emerging pathogenic bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as Staphyloccocus aureus and Enterobacter spp., which are associated with mastitis in milk samples from different lactating ruminant species (cows, goats, and sheep) and to further evaluate the significance of the isolated pathogens to public health. Even though significant mastitis contagious pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were not detected, environmental pathogens related to poor hygiene conditions at the farm level (K. pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Enterococcus spp.) were detected. In particular, K. pneumoniae and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were present in ovine milk samples while bovine and caprine milk samples were contaminated with Enterococcus spp. The presence of these bacteria underlines the significant role of environmental hygiene especially since Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Enterococcus spp. are related to urinary tract infections and all of the tested pathogens may carry antibiotic resistance genes. More specifically, 20% of the isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were found resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. The presence of emerging K. pneumoniae in ovine milk samples also indicates the need for new policies in terms of safety testing. Suggestions of monitoring processes carried out by the relevant authorities are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Microbiology and Its Role in Food Processing)
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Review

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26 pages, 415 KiB  
Review
The Role of Fungi in Food Production and Processing
by John Pouris, Foteini Kolyva, Spyridoula Bratakou, Chrysovalantou Argyro Vogiatzi, Dimitrios Chaniotis and Apostolos Beloukas
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 5046; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125046 - 10 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3359
Abstract
Fungi play an important and multifaceted role in the production and processing of food, influencing various stages from cultivation to consumption. This paper explores the complex relationship between fungi and food systems, highlighting their diverse contributions. Firstly, fungi serve as essential agents in [...] Read more.
Fungi play an important and multifaceted role in the production and processing of food, influencing various stages from cultivation to consumption. This paper explores the complex relationship between fungi and food systems, highlighting their diverse contributions. Firstly, fungi serve as essential agents in food cultivation, aiding in the breakdown of organic matter and the recycling of nutrients, and promoting plant growth through symbiotic relationships. Moreover, fungi such as yeasts and molds are integral to fermentation processes, yielding a wide array of fermented foods and beverages with unique flavors and textures. Additionally, fungi are indispensable in the creation of enzymes and bioactive compounds utilized in food processing, enhancing the nutritional value, shelf life, and safety. However, certain fungal species pose significant challenges as food spoilage agents and mycotoxin producers, necessitating stringent quality control measures. Understanding the intricate interplay between fungi and food systems is essential for optimizing food production, ensuring food security, and mitigating the risks associated with fungal contamination. This paper synthesizes current research to elucidate the important role that fungus play in shaping the modern food industry and underscores the importance of ongoing scientific inquiry in harnessing their potential for sustainable and safe food production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Food Microbiology and Its Role in Food Processing)
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