New Perspectives on the Action of Probiotics against Food Contaminants

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 12758

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
Interests: food chemistry; functional food; phytochemistry; antioxidant activity; secondary metabolites; nanoparticles
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food contaminants resulting from environmental pollution and industrialization are a serious concern for global food security, and impact the quality of life of those exposed to them. The contaminants with a negative impact on human health belong to many groups, such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, bisphenols, polyaromatic hydrocarbons as well as toxins of bacterial and herbal origin.

Probiotics are a powerful tool for alleviating toxicity and the accumulation of food contaminants in the human body. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are considered the most effective tools to alleviate heavy metal toxicity due to their biochemical features. Next-generation probiotics have recently been used for detoxification and bioremediation. Functional foods based on probiotics have the role of counteracting the side effects accumulated as a result of exposure to food contaminants.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a collection of articles highlighting the intimate mechanisms underlying the detoxification of food contaminants by probiotics. Additionally, the development of probiotic-based functional foods and beverages that are scientifically proven to remove food contaminants is welcome, along with papers related to applications of the biodetoxification capacity of probiotics in environmental pollutants.

As Guest Editors of this Special Issue, we encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results (as research articles, review articles, as well as short communications) related to probiotics as a protective strategy against contaminant toxicity in this Special Issue.

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Simona Ioana Vicas
Dr. Oana Lelia Pop
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • food microbiology
  • probiotics
  • next-generation probiotics
  • functional foods
  • fermented foods
  • food contaminants toxicity
  • chemical contaminants
  • heavy metals
  • toxins
  • pathogens
  • mechanism of action
  • health and beneficial properties

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1686 KiB  
Article
Multi-Functional Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains and Antimicrobial Effects in Minimally Processed Pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cv Jolly Red) Arils
by Leila Ben Farhat, Flora Valeria Romeo, Paola Foti, Nunziatina Russo, Cinzia Lucia Randazzo, Cinzia Caggia and Ferid Abidi
Microorganisms 2022, 10(10), 1876; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10101876 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2215
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of both cells, and cell-free supernatants (CFS) of 7 selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains belonging to Limosilactobacillus fermentum (4 strains), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (1 strain), Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (1 strain), and Enterococcus faecium (1 strain) species, [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of both cells, and cell-free supernatants (CFS) of 7 selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains belonging to Limosilactobacillus fermentum (4 strains), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (1 strain), Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (1 strain), and Enterococcus faecium (1 strain) species, against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, by both the agar-well diffusion and co-culture methods. In addition, probiotic and safety traits were also detected. Great variability was detected on antimicrobial effects, whereas all tested strains were found sensitive to most of the tested antibiotics, and without any DNase, gelatinase, or hemolytic activity. Moreover, strains showed excellent survival in acidic conditions and exhibited tolerance to pepsin and bile salts. Based on the in vitro results, the CFSs of two selected L. fermentum strains were applied, in a mixed solution, as bio-preservative into minimally processed pomegranate arils, inoculated with a cocktail of L. monocytogenes and E. coli. Samples, packaged in an ordinary atmosphere, were analyzed during refrigerated storage, for up to 12 days, for physicochemical (as weight loss, texture, color, pH, total soluble solids and organic acid content) and for microbiological traits. Results revealed the effectiveness of CFS, up to 12 days, in reducing weight loss and microbial growth, without any significant effect on texture, total soluble solid content and color, found comparable to the acid citric treatment, highlighting the multi-functional potential of selected probiotic strains. Full article
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Review

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34 pages, 1097 KiB  
Review
Viability of Probiotic Microorganisms and the Effect of Their Addition to Fruit and Vegetable Juices
by Maria Spinasse Maia, Manueli Monciozo Domingos and Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José
Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1335; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051335 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5023
Abstract
Consumers’ recent interest in healthier diets has increased the demand for food products with functional properties, such as probiotics. However, most probiotic food types available on the market are of dairy origin, which limits their consumption by individuals with food intolerances and by [...] Read more.
Consumers’ recent interest in healthier diets has increased the demand for food products with functional properties, such as probiotics. However, most probiotic food types available on the market are of dairy origin, which limits their consumption by individuals with food intolerances and by those who adhere to strict vegan and vegetarian diets. The aim of the current review is to assess both the limitations and impacts of the addition of probiotic microorganisms to fruit, vegetable, and/or mixed juices. Thus, an integrative literature review was herein carried out. A bibliographic survey was carried out in the following databases: Lilacs, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo. In addition, searches for studies published in English from 2010 to 2021 were carried out, based on the following meshes: “fruit”, ‘‘vegetable”, ‘‘juice”, and “probiotics”, which were used both in combination with each other and with Boolean operators such as “AND” and “OR”. Although 254 articles were initially found in the literature search, only 21 of them were selected to compose the final sample. The included studies mainly addressed microorganism viability and physicochemical analyses. Overall, fruit and/or vegetable juices can be suitable matrices used to help the development of probiotic food types. However, the microorganisms added to these products must be capable of adapting to and surviving in them to enable a product’s success. Therefore, factors such as pH, fiber content, amino acids, and phenolic compounds play an essential role in the survival of probiotic microorganisms. Given the wide variety of analyses, a comparison between parameters was the major limitation of the present study. Future studies should focus on filling the gaps persisting in the development of probiotic fruit and/or vegetable juices as well as mixed juices. Full article
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20 pages, 1306 KiB  
Review
Biodetoxification and Protective Properties of Probiotics
by Oana Lelia Pop, Ramona Suharoschi and Rosita Gabbianelli
Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1278; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071278 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4376
Abstract
Probiotic consumption is recognized as being generally safe and correlates with multiple and valuable health benefits. However, the mechanism by which it helps detoxify the body and its anti-carcinogenic and antimutagenic potential is less discussed. A widely known fact is that globalization and [...] Read more.
Probiotic consumption is recognized as being generally safe and correlates with multiple and valuable health benefits. However, the mechanism by which it helps detoxify the body and its anti-carcinogenic and antimutagenic potential is less discussed. A widely known fact is that globalization and mass food production/cultivation make it impossible to keep all possible risks under control. Scientists associate the multitude of diseases in the days when we live with these risks that threaten the population’s safety in terms of food. This review aims to explore whether the use of probiotics may be a safe, economically viable, and versatile tool in biodetoxification despite the numerous risks associated with food and the limited possibility to evaluate the contaminants. Based on scientific data, this paper focuses on the aspects mentioned above and demonstrates the probiotics’ possible risks, as well as their anti-carcinogenic and antimutagenic potential. After reviewing the probiotic capacity to react with pathogens, fungi infection, mycotoxins, acrylamide toxicity, benzopyrene, and heavy metals, we can conclude that the specific probiotic strain and probiotic combinations bring significant health outcomes. Furthermore, the biodetoxification maximization process can be performed using probiotic-bioactive compound association. Full article
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