Isolation and genetic identification of spore-forming bacteria associated with concentrated-milk processing in Nebraska

Spore-forming bacteria are heat-resistant microorganisms capable of surviving and germinating in milk after pasteurization. They have been reported to affect the quality of dairy products by the production of enzymes (lipolytic and proteolytic) under low-temperature conditions in fluid milk, and have become a limiting factor for milk powder in reaching some selective markets. The objective of this research was to isolate and identify the population of spore-forming bacteria (psychrotrophic and thermophilic strains) associated with concentrated milk processing in Nebraska. During 2 seasons, in-process milk samples from a commercial plant (raw, pasteurized, and concentrated) were collected and heat-treated (80°C/12 min) to recover only spore-formers. Samples were spread-plated using standard methods agar and incubated at 32°C to enumerate mesophilic spore counts. Heat-treated samples were also stored at 7°C and 55°C to recover spore-formers that had the ability to grow under those temperature conditions. Isolates obtained from incubation or storage conditions were identified using molecular techniques (16S or rpoB sequencing). Based on the identification of the isolates and their relatedness, strains found in raw, pasteurized, and concentrated milk were determined to be similar. Paenibacillus spp. were associated with both raw and concentrated milk. Due to their known ability to cause spoilage under refrigeration, this shows the potential risk associated with the transferring of these problematic organisms into other dairy products. Other Bacillus species found in concentrated milk included Bacillus clausii, Bacillus subtilis, Lysinibacillus sp., Bacillus safensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus sonorensis, and Brevibacillus sp., with the last 3 organisms being capable of growing at thermophilic temperatures. These strains can also be translocated to other dairy products, such as milk powder, representing a quality problem. The results of this research highlight the importance of understanding spore-formers associated with the processing of condensed milk, which then may allow for specific interventions to be applied to control these microorganisms in this processing chain. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating spore-formers associated with concentrated milk in the United States.     

凡纳滨对虾优势腐败菌鉴定及其致腐能力的初步研究

分析鉴定了凡纳滨对虾0℃与20℃贮藏条件下的菌相组成与优势腐败菌,并对优势腐败菌16SrDNA、生长动力学、致腐能力与菌落数的变化进行了测定。结果表明,0℃与20℃贮藏条件下,对虾优势腐败菌分别是希瓦氏菌(30%)、不动杆菌(16.7%)与希瓦氏菌(46.5%)、发光杆菌(17.7%)。7℃条件下,将一定浓度的希瓦氏菌与不动杆菌菌悬液接种到无菌对虾上,结果显示接种希瓦氏菌的样品其腐败代谢产物产量因子YTVB-N/CFU、YTMA/CFU分别为12.44×10-9、6.193×10-10,而接种不动杆菌的样品其YTVB-N/CFU、YTMA/CFU分别为8.937×10-9、5.548×10-10。结果表明,7℃条件下,希瓦氏菌的致腐能力强于不动杆菌,希瓦氏菌在对虾腐败过程中占主导作用,其分析结果与对虾菌相组成的鉴定结果相一致。     

Biodiversity and characterization of aerobic spore-forming bacteria in surimi seafood products

The microbial quality and safety of surimi seafood products was assessed by studying the prevalence and biodiversity of aerobic spore-forming bacteria at the beginning and end of shelf life in 100 surimi samples. Low levels of total flora and sporulated flora were numerated at the beginning of storage, however, residual spores were detected in the majority of samples during storage. Furthermore, for 34 samples, total flora counts > 10⁴ CFU/g were observed at the end of shelf life which could lead to non-compliance with good practice recommendations or product spoilage. In total, 460 strains were isolated, fingerprinted by M13-PCR and grouped into 98 different clusters. Representative strains were then identified at the species level via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Overall, dominant species belonged to Bacillus simplex, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis; while B. simplex, B. subtilis as well as Sporosarcina aquimarina were clearly the dominant species found in samples with higher total flora counts. Amylolytic and proteolytic activities were very frequent amongst tested strains (80 and 92.5%, respectively). Heat resistance parameters of 4 strains in a surimi-based medium were determined. B. simplex and B. subtilis strains were the most heat resistant (δ_96 °C = 27.6 and 23.3 min and z_T = 8.6 and 7.9, respectively) which can explain their dominance in surimi samples exhibiting higher microbial counts. The heat resistance data obtained can now be used to model thermal destruction of strains using predictive microbiology tools (Sym’Previus).     

The use of carbon dioxide in the processing and packaging of milk and dairy products: A review

The upswing in consumer demand for fresh and high quality preservative‐free foods has led to the development of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Increasingly, MAP is being used with high carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration as well as CO₂/N₂ gas mixes. Modified atmosphere packaging or ‘gas flushing’ as it is also known is an increasingly popular technique used to extend the shelf life (both quality and safety) of a number of dairy products. Carbon dioxide is an active constituent of MAP, naturally present in freshly drawn raw milk. Addition of CO₂ to raw milk or flushing the package headspace has proved to be a simple and cost‐effective method, depending upon the initial microbiological quality of the food product. Carbon dioxide addition through MAP or direct injection as an economically affordable shelf life extension strategy is used commercially worldwide for some dairy products. The development of food packaging machines with integrated gas flushing capabilities and the supply of ‘food grade’ gases allow dairy foods manufacturers to enhance the quality of their products. This review presents a broad spectrum of current research and the current trends with respect to CO₂ as a natural microbial hurdle with special focus on its precise mechanism and its role in quality improvement of dairy products.     

Detection of culturable and viable but non‐culturable cells of beer spoilage lactic acid bacteria by combined use of propidium monoazide and horA‐specific polymerase chain reaction

Current methods of detecting beer spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are time‐consuming and do not differentiate between viable and non‐viable bacteria. In this study, a combination of the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment has been described to circumvent the disadvantages. The horA‐specific PMA‐PCR described here identifies beer spoilage LAB based not on their identity, but on the presence of a gene that is shown to be highly correlated with the ability of LAB to grow in beer. The results suggest that the use of 20 µg/mL or less of PMA did not inhibit the PCR amplification of DNA derived from viable, but putatively non‐culturable (VPNC) Lactobacillus acetotolerans. The minimum amount of PMA to completely inhibit the PCR amplification of DNA derived from dead L. acetotolerans cells was 1.5 µg/mL. The detection limit of established PMA‐PCR assays was found to be 100 VPNC cells/reaction for the horA gene. Furthermore, the horA‐specific PMA‐PCR assays were subjected to 18 reference strains, representing 100% specificity with no false positive amplification observed. In conclusion, the use of horA‐specific PMA‐PCR allows for a substantial reduction in the time required for the detection of potential beer spoilage LAB and efficiently discriminates between live and dead cells. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

On-line local thermal pulse analysis sensor to monitor fouling and cleaning: Application to dairy product pasteurisation with an ohmic cell jet heater

In the process industry, fouling is considered as a complex (sometimes partially known and identified) phenomenon. In this paper, a fouling sensor (FS) based on local differential thermal analysis is scrutinized and we report the comparison of two operating modes, steady (STR) and periodic (PTR) thermal regimes. Moreover, the development of alternating technologies like direct Joule effect (ohmic) heating to pasteurise and sterilise liquid food products in a continuous process is of great scientific and industrial interest. Heat treatment by direct Joule effect exhibits numerous advantages because rapid heating kinetics or homogeneous heat treatment is required. However, fouling of electrode surfaces in this kind of apparatus is much more problematic than in conventional heat exchangers. In the present study, a new continuous ohmic heating apparatus (Emmepiemme®, Piacenza, Italy) in which an alternating electrical current is applied directly to a jet falling between two stainless steel electrodes is investigated during pasteurisation of a dairy product. Conventional fouling measurements (pressure drop, heat transfer or electrical parameters) cannot be used in such a heater. Fouling and cleaning phases are monitored with fouling sensor and fouling quantified.     

内蒙古传统发酵乳制品中乳酸菌的分离及其耐药性研究

以内蒙古通辽地区自制的奶豆腐和酸性奶油（乌日莫）为材料,采用稀释涂布法从中分离乳酸菌,通过分子生物学技术对其进行菌种鉴定,并对其耐药性进行研究。结果表明,共分离纯化得到80株乳酸菌,经鉴定,归属于13个种,分别为短乳杆菌（Lactobacillus brevis）、粪肠球菌（Enterococcus faecalis）、乳酸片球菌（Lactobacillus acidilacticii）、乳酸乳球菌（Lactococcus lactis）、瑞士乳杆菌（Lactobacillus helveticus）、屎肠球菌（Enterococcus faecium）、戊糖片球菌（Pediococcus pentosaceus）、副干酪乳杆菌（Lactobacillus paracasei）、食二酸乳杆菌（Lactobacillus digitalis）、奥塔基乳杆菌（Lactobacillus ottaki）、耐久肠球菌（Enterococcus durans）、植物乳杆菌（Lactobacillus plantarum）、开菲尔乳杆菌（Lactobacillus kefir）,表现出高的生物多样性。80株乳酸菌对萘啶酸的耐药率为100%;对链霉素、环丙沙星、万古霉素的耐药率较高,分别为95.00%、80.00%、72.50%;对利福平和四环素的耐药率中等,分别为51.25%,45.00%;对红霉素、氯霉素的耐药率较低,分别为26.25%、23.75%。此外,76株（95%）的乳酸菌还具有多重耐药性。     

Diversity and assessment of potential risk factors of Gram-negative isolates associated with French cheeses

The goal of this study was to identify at the species level a large collection of Gram-negative dairy bacteria isolated from milks or semi-hard and soft, smear-ripened cheeses (cheese core or surface samples) from different regions of France. The isolates were then assessed for two risk factors, antibiotic resistance and volatile and non-volatile biogenic amine production in vitro. In total, 173 Gram-negative isolates were identified by rrs and/or rpoB gene sequencing. A large biodiversity was observed with nearly half of all Gram-negative isolates belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. Overall, 26 different genera represented by 68 species including potential new species were identified among the studied Gram-negative isolates for both surface and milk or cheese core samples. The most frequently isolated genera corresponded to Pseudomonas, Proteus, Psychrobacter, Halomonas and Serratia and represented almost 54% of the dairy collection. After Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, Enterobacter and Stenotrophomonas were the most frequently isolated genera found in cheese core and milk samples while Proteus, Psychrobacter, Halomonas and Serratia were the most frequently isolated genera among surface samples. Antibiotic resistance profiles indicated that resistances to the aminosid, imipemen and quinolon were relatively low while more than half of all tested isolates were resistant to antibiotics belonging to the monobactam, cephem, fosfomycin, colistin, phenicol, sulfamid and some from the penam families. Thirty-six% of isolates were negative for in vitro biogenic amine production. Among biogenic amine-producers, cadaverine was the most frequently produced followed by isoamylamine, histamine and putrescine. Only low levels (<75 mg/l) of tyramine were detected in vitro.     

Isolation of lactic acid bacteria with inhibitory activity against pathogens and spoilage organisms associated with fresh meat

The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as protective cultures in vacuum-packed chill-stored meat has potential application for assuring and improving food quality, safety and market access. In a study to identify candidate strains suitable for evaluation in a meat model, agar-based methods were employed to screen 181 chilled meat and meat process-related LAB for strains inhibitory to pathogens and spoilage organisms of importance to the meat industry. Six meat-derived strains, including Lactobacillus sakei and Lactococcus lactis, were found to be inhibitory to one or more of the target strains Listeria monocytogenes, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridium estertheticum. The inhibitory agents appeared to be either cell-associated or molecules released extracellularly with bacteriocin-like properties. Variations detected in the antimicrobial activity of LAB associated with changes to test parameters such as substrate composition underlined the importance of further in situ evaluation of the inhibitory strains in stored meat trials.     

Meta-analysis of effects of inoculation with Lactobacillus buchneri,with or without other bacteria,on silage fermentation,aerobic stability,and performance of dairy cows

A meta-analysis of 158 peer-reviewed articles was conducted to examine effects of inoculation with Lactobacillus buchneri (LB)-based inoculants (LBB) that did or did not include homolactic or obligate heterolactic bacteria on silage fermentation and aerobic stability. A complementary meta-analysis of 12 articles examined LBB inoculation effects on dairy cow performance. Raw mean differences between inoculant and control treatment means weighted by inverse variance were compared with a hierarchical effects model that included robust variance estimation. Meta-regression and subgrouping analysis were used to identify effects of covariates including forage type, application rate (≤10⁴, 10⁵, 10⁶, or ≥ 10⁷ cfu/g as fed), bacteria type (LB vs. LB plus other bacteria), enzyme inclusion, ensiling duration, and silo type (laboratory or farm scale). Inoculation with LBB increased acetate (62%), 1, 2 propanediol (364%) and propionate (30%) concentration and aerobic stability (73.8%) and reduced lactate concentration (7.2%), yeast counts (7-fold) and mold counts (3-fold). Feeding inoculated silage did not affect milk yield, dry matter intake, and feed efficiency in lactating dairy cows. However, forage type, inoculant composition, and dose effects on silage quality measures were evident. Inoculation with LBB increased aerobic stability of all silages except tropical grasses. Adding obligate homolactic or facultative heterolactic bacteria to LB prevented the small increase in DM losses caused by LB alone. The 10⁵ and 10⁶ cfu/g rates were most effective at minimizing DM losses while aerobic stability was only increased with 10⁵, 10⁶, and ≥ 10⁷ cfu/g rates. Inoculation with LBB increased acetate concentration, reduced yeast counts and improved aerobic stability but did not improve dairy cow performance.