Bacterial spores in spices and dried herbs: The risks for processed food

Production and world consumption of spices are constantly increasing. Although the antimicrobial properties of some spices are well documented, their use in the agri-food industry is also responsible for microbial contamination and spoilage. Bacterial spores introduced by spices can withstand different preparation processes, particularly thermal treatments, leading to food alterations during storage. This review brings together data from the literature about the prevalence and concentrations of spore-forming bacteria in all commercially available spices. The sporeformers found in spices belong mainly to the genera Bacillus and Clostridium. Such contaminations are very common and sometimes reach high levels, as in pepper and turmeric. Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus cereus are the most frequently detected species. Studying the harvesting, processing, and storage procedures for spices provides elements to explain why high prevalence and concentrations are observed. Spices are mostly produced in developing countries on small farms using traditional production methods. Spices become contaminated by bacterial spores in two main ways: by contact with soil during harvesting or drying, as for pepper, or by cross-contamination during the water-cooking step, as for turmeric. From these observations, we propose some recommendations. Different methods that can be used to eliminate bacterial spores from spices are presented indicating their efficiency and the limitations of their use.     

Safe preparation of beefy meaty peptide with Bacillus subtilis

Preparation of flavour peptides with microorganisms is an attractive choice for its large-scale production. However, beefy meaty peptide (BMP), as a research hotspot in the field of umami peptide, has been studied in few microorganisms, and furthermore, the safe preparation of BMP has not yet been reported. In this study, multi-copy BMP (8BMP) was successfully expressed and produced in the ‘generally recognized as safe’ Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis). Firstly, 8BMP with the potentially intense umami was screened out based on molecular docking analysis. Then, it was successfully expressed in the B. subtilis 168 and verified through sensory evaluation. Finally, the scaling capacity of 8BMP was evaluated in a 5-L fermenter, with the highest yield (0.84 g L⁻¹) 6.4 times than that of shake flask, which is conductive for industrial production of BMP and other food peptides.     

Preparation of grape seed polypeptide and its calcium chelate with determination of calcium bioaccessibility and structural characterisation

Grape seed polypeptide (GSPP) was obtained by liquid fermentation with Bacillus subtilis TK15.015 from waste grape seed pomace. Its chelation ability with calcium ions was excellent. Simulation of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion showed that GSPP and calcium chelate (GSPP-Ca) slowly released calcium and decreased stomach stimulation. The solubility and transmission rate of GSPP-Ca after digestion in the gastrointestinal tract for 8 h maintained high levels of 74.4% and 46.4%, respectively, which far exceeded the levels achieved by other calcium supplements. Structural characterisation showed that calcium ions mainly react with binding sites present in peptides such as carboxyl oxygen, hydroxyl oxygen, amino nitrogen and amide bonds. GSPP-Ca may be a state in which a calcium-encapsulating complex formed, leaving calcium ions in a soluble state, suggesting its possible use as a high-quality calcium supplement.     

枯草芽孢杆菌Dg5041液体发酵生产γ-聚谷氨酸

以枯草芽孢杆菌Dg5041为生产菌,对其摇瓶发酵生产γ–聚谷氨酸(γ-PGA)的工艺进行研究,通过单因素实验和正交实验获得了该菌的优化培养条件。优化的培养基组成为:葡萄糖35 g/L,酵母膏10 g/L,谷氨酸钠40 g/L,MgSO41.0 g/L,K2HPO4 2.0 g/L,MnSO40.5 g/L,pH 7.0,250 mL锥形瓶装液量50 mL。菌种在37℃,120 r/min培养24 h加入5%NaCl后继续培养24 h,γ-PGA产量达到18.54 g/L。研究结果表明,枯草芽孢杆菌Dg5041是一株很有潜力的γ-PGA高产菌。     

Nd3＋、Er3＋、Gd3＋和La3＋对超氧化物歧化酶活性的影响

通过研究Nd3＋、Er3＋、Gd3＋和La3＋稀土离子对枯草芽孢杆菌在生长过程中所产的超氧化物歧化酶活性的影响,来探讨稀土可能会导致生物体发生氧化损伤。利用改良的邻苯三酚自氧化法测定超氧化物歧化酶活性。结果表明：4种稀土离子对其细胞中超氧化物歧化酶活性均有抑制作用,且Nd3＋的抑制作用较其它3种稀土离子要强,故一定浓度的稀土离子很有可能会导致生物体发生氧化损伤。4种稀土离子的浓度不同影响有所不同,总的来说,稀土离子的浓度越大,对枯草杆菌抗氧化的抑制作用越明显,损伤毒性作用越强。     

煤炭生物絮凝絮体分形试验研究

为解决化工产品类絮凝剂的大量使用会对环境造成严重污染的问题,采用对煤炭具有良好絮凝作用的枯草芽孢杆菌作为生物絮凝剂产生菌,开展煤炭生物絮凝试验和絮体分形试验研究。通过对生物絮凝的絮体进行显微图像采集与分析,利用絮凝体的投影面积与最大长度的函数关系计算絮凝体的分形维数。研究发现,枯草芽孢杆菌絮凝剂用量和絮体分形维数与煤泥水透光率之间具有显著的相关性。研究结果表明,以絮凝体分形维数为主控指标,可以实现对枯草芽孢杆菌絮凝剂的定量控制,能够比较客观地反映煤泥水的絮凝沉降过程。     

单级连续发酵生产D-核糖

考察了D-核糖单级连续发酵的起始时间、稀释率、流加糖浓度对D-核糖单级连续发酵的影响。结果表明,在24 h后以稀释率为0.06 h-1,流加糖浓度为200 g/L时进行单级连续发酵,D-核糖产率达到最大,可达4.0 g/(L.h)以上。     

Intensification of Freeze-Drying Rate of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 2396 Using Tungsten Halogen Radiation: Optimization of Moisture Content and α-Amylase Activity

A novel freeze-drying protocol has been explored to render fast and cost-effective freeze drying of hyperamylase producing Bacillus subtilis MTCC2396 employing a tungsten halogen lamp radiator (THLR) as a heat source. Response surface methodology assessed the maximum reduction in moisture content (96.07%) and minimum reduction in α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) activity (1.02%) in 4 h drying time at 42.5°C radiation temperature. α-amylase activity (0.046 U) and final moisture content (3.93%) of the optimally freeze-dried bacterial strain appeared satisfactory. The freeze-drying time using THLR (4 h) is remarkably lower compared to that under a conventional conductive plate heater (CPH) (10 h) at otherwise identical conditions. The higher effective moisture diffusivity of 0.0052 to 0.0078 m ²/s under THLR compared to 0.00084 to 0.0015 m ²/s under CPH (corresponding to 20–50°C) advocated the superiority of the THLR heating protocol. The higher efficacy of THLR was also evidenced through lower activation energy (8.42 kJ/mol) of moisture diffusion compared to that (12.051 kJ/mol) of CPH. The optimally freeze-dried bacteria demonstrated the same growth rate in addition to exhibiting excellent retention of bioremedial (Hg²⁺ removal) activity to that of the control.     

Trivalent chromium removal from tannery effluent using kaolin‐supported bacterial biofilm of Bacillus sp isolated from chromium polluted soil

BACKGROUND: Bacterial strains belonging to the genus Bacillus, isolated from Cr‐ polluted soil (tannery sludge) were employed as consortium for Cr(III) removal from tannery effluents. Kaolin clay, a natural adsorbent, was used as supporting material for bacterial biofilm formation. The use of clay‐supported bacterial biofilm has not previously been employed for the treatment of tannery effluents containing Cr(III) salt. RESULTS: Commercial tannery effluent containing 1000 ppm initial metal ion concentration was treated in stages. The initial Cr(III) concentration of 1000 ppm was brought down to 2 ppm, a permissible level for discharge, after the fourth stage. The bacterial isolates were found to be Bacillus subtilis VITSCCr01 and Bacillus cereus VITSCCr02 by 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Batch assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy results revealed the role of kaolin as a support material in biofilm formation. Best fit was obtained with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The mechanism of sorption was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS). CONCLUSION: Cr(III) removal from tannery effluent using low cost adsorbents such as kaolin and bacteria proved to be effective for metal concentrations ?1000 ppm; this is normally not possible using conventional treatment methods. This work has demonstrated feasible sorption of Cr(III), especially during post‐tanning operations. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry