Volatile sulphur compounds-forming abilities of lactic acid bacteria: C-S lyase activities

Volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) are of prime importance in the overall aroma of cheese and make a significant contribution to their typical flavours. Thus, the control of VSCs formation offers considerable potential for industrial applications. Here, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from different ecological origins were screened for their abilities to produce VSCs from L-methionine. From the data presented, VSC-forming abilities were shown to be strain-specific and were correlated with the C-S lyase enzymatic activities determined using different approaches. High VSCs formation were detected for those strains that were also shown to possess high thiol-producing abilities (determined either by agar plate or spectrophotometry assays). Moreover, differences in C-S lyase activities were shown to correspond with the enzymatic potential of the strains as determined by in situ gel visualization. Therefore, the assessment of the C-S lyase enzymatic potential, by means of either of these techniques, could be used as a valuable approach for the selection of LAB strains with high VSC-producing abilities thus, representing an effective way to enhance cheese sulphur aroma compounds synthesis. In this regard, this study highlights the flavour forming potential of the Streptococcus thermophilus STY-31, that therefore could be used as a starter culture in cheese manufacture. Furthermore, although C-S lyases are involved in both biosynthetic and catabolic pathways, an association between methionine and cysteine auxotrophy of the selected strains and their VSCs-producing abilities could not be found.     

Diversity and technological potential of lactic acid bacteria of wheat flours

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were analysed from wheat flours used in traditional bread making throughout Sicily (southern Italy). Plate counts, carried out in three different media commonly used to detect food and sourdough LAB, revealed a maximal LAB concentration of approximately 4.75 Log CFU g⁻¹. Colonies representing various morphological appearances were isolated and differentiated based on phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. Fifty unique strains were identified. Analysis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing grouped the strains into 11 LAB species, which belonged to six genera: Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Weissella. Weissella cibaria, Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides and Leuconostoc citreum were the most prevalent species. The strains were not geographically related. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of total DNA of flour was used to provide a more complete understanding of the LAB population; it confirmed the presence of species identified with the culture-dependent approach, but did not reveal the presence of any additional LAB species. Finally, the technological characteristics (acidifying capacity, antimicrobial production, proteolytic activity, organic acid, and volatile organic compound generation) of the 50 LAB strains were investigated. Eleven strains were selected for future in situ applications.     

Identification and characterisation of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Urfa cheese

In this study, characterisation of dominant strains of lactic flora in traditional Urfa cheese made from sheep's milk was performed using biochemical, phenotypic and genotypic methods. According to the results obtained, the percentage distributions of the lactic acid bacteria isolated were as follows: 48.95% Enterococcus spp., 40.55% Lactococcus spp., 9.10% Lactobacillus spp., 0.69% Streptococcus spp. and 0.69% Leuconostoc spp. The majority of lactococcal isolates showed an atypical phenotype of growing in the presence of 6.5% NaCl. Acidification and bacteriocin production were also determined for each isolate. Four strains showed bacteriocin activity.     

Spanish cheese screening and selection of lactic acid bacteria with high gamma-aminobutyric acid production

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein four-carbon amino acid which is considered a bioactive component known for its physiological functions, including a regulator of blood pressure, neurotransmitter, diuretic and anti-stress effects. Its use in foods might confer health benefits. Microorganisms such as yeast, fungi or bacteria can produce GABA naturally. Among them, the lactic acid bacteria are being studied for the potential development of fermented foods because their physiological activities and their designation of generally recognized as safe (GRAS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the GABA-production capacity in a whole wheat flour medium of lactic acid bacteria strains that showed a high conversion of glutamic acid to GABA in a screening conducted in 58 Spanish artisanal cheeses. Synthesis of GABA by these strains in a non-optimized whole wheat flour in water solution (1:5) was quantified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. The 4 strains showing the highest GABA production were genotypically and phenotypically characterized. Results indicated an interesting fermentative variability between strains. The addition of these isolated lactic acid strains in fermented food products could allow a potentially functional food for regulating hypertension.     

Diversity of lactic acid bacteria population in ripened Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

The diversity of dominant lactic acid bacteria population in 12 months ripened Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses was investigated by a polyphasic approach including culture-dependent and independent methods. Traditional plating, isolation of LAB and identification by 16S rDNA analysis showed that strains belonging to Lactobacillus casei group were the most frequently isolated. Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus parabuchneri, and Lactobacillus buchneri species were detected with lower frequency. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) applied to DNA extracted directly from cheese samples and sequencing of rDNA amplicons confirmed the complex microbiological pattern of LAB in ripened Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, with the significant exception of the Lactobacillus fermentum species, which dominated in several samples, but was not detected by cultivation. The present combination of different approaches can effectively describe the lactic acid bacteria population of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in advanced stages of ripening, giving useful information for elucidating the role of LAB in determining the final cheese quality.     

Detoxification of cancerogenic compounds by lactic acid bacteria strains

ABSTRACT

Carcinogens in food are an important issue that threat people’s health right now. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains as well-known probiotics have shown numerous perspectives in being used as a good food additive to confront cancerogenic compounds in recent years. Some LAB strains can remove cancerogenic compounds from medium environment via direct physical binding and avoid re-pollution of poisonous secondary metabolites which are generated from degradation of cancerogenic compounds. This article presents a whole overview of the physical-binding of LAB strains to such common cancerogenic compounds existed in food and feed environments as mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic amines (HAs) and pthalic acid esters (PAEs).In most cases, summaries of these published researches show that the binding of LAB strains to cancerogenic compounds is a physical process. Binding sites generally take place in cell wall, and peptidoglycan from LAB cells is the chief binding site. The adsorption of lactic acid bacteria to cancerogenic compounds is strain-specific. Specially, the strains from the two genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium show a better potential in binding cancerogenic compounds. Moreover, we firstly used molecular dynamic computer model as a highly potential tool to simulate the binding behavior of peptidoglycan from Lactobacillus acidophilus to DBP, one of pthalic acid esters with genetic toxicity. It was seen that the theoretical data were quite consistent with the experimental results in terms of the ability of this bacterium to bind DBP. Also, the toxicity reduction of cancerogenic compounds by LAB strains could be achieved either in gastrointestinal model or animal tests and clinical researches as well. In conclusion, carefully selected LAB strains should be a good solution as one of safety strategies to reduce potential risk of cancerogenic compounds from food-based products.     

Evaluation of isolated starter lactic acid bacteria in Ras cheese ripening and flavour development

Eighteen cultures of starter lactic acid bacteria with or without added adjunct cultures, isolated from Egyptian dairy products, were evaluated in experimental Ras cheese for flavour development. Chemical composition of experimental cheeses was within the legal limit for Ras cheese in Egypt. All cultures used in this study had no effect on chemical composition of Ras cheese. Very significant variations in free amino acids, free fatty acids and sensory evaluation have been found among the cultures used in Ras cheesemaking. The levels of free amino acids and free fatty acids were correlated well with flavour development in Ras cheese. Seven of the tested cultures produced acceptable flavour and texture of Ras cheese. The highest overall score of flavour intensity, flavour and texture acceptability were in cheese made using YY47 lactic culture in addition to adjunct culture of Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis and Enterococcus faecium. This culture can be recommended for Ras cheese manufacture using pasteurized milk.     

干酪中非发酵剂乳酸菌

非发酵剂乳酸菌是干酪中主要的次生菌群，不属于发酵微生物，通常不能很好的在牛奶中生长，不能产酸，但对干酪的风味形成有很重要作用。本文概述了非发酵剂乳酸菌的一些特征，包括不同原料制成的干酪中非发酵剂乳酸菌的来源、生长能源的利用、自身存在的蛋白分解系统对干酪风味形成影响及作为一种提高干酪品质的附属发酵剂的应用展望。     

Isolation of lactic acid bacteria from Lighvan cheese, a semihard cheese made from raw sheep milk in Iran

The lactic acid bacteria contributing to Lighvan cheese ripening during the different stages of production were investigated. Isolated strains from different culture media were identified phenotypically to species and subspecies level. In total, 413 strains were isolated from raw milk, 1-day-old cheese and fully ripened cheese. The most abundant species belonged to Enterococcus faecium (87 isolates), Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (68 isolates), Enterococcus faecalis (55 isolates) and Lactobacillus plantarum (48 isolates). E. faecium, Lc. lactis and Lb. plantarum were the predominantly isolated strains from ripened cheese. Therefore, they may contribute considerably to the aroma and flavour development of Lighvan cheese.     

Amino acid catabolism and generation of volatiles by lactic acid bacteria

Twelve isolates of lactic acid bacteria, belonging to the Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, and Enterococcus genera, were previously isolated from 180-d-old Serra da Estrela cheese, a traditional Portuguese cheese manufactured from raw milk and coagulated with a plant rennet. These isolates were subsequently tested for their ability to catabolize free amino acids, when incubated independently with each amino acid in free form or with a mixture thereof. Attempts were made in both situations to correlate the rates of free amino acid uptake with the numbers of viable cells. When incubated individually, leucine, valine, glycine, aspartic acid, serine, threonine, lysine, glutamic acid, and alanine were degraded by all strains considered; arginine tended to build up, probably because of transamination of other amino acids. When incubated together, the degradation of free amino acids by each strain was dependent on pH (with an optimum pH around 6.0). The volatiles detected in ripened Serra da Estrela cheese originated mainly from leucine, phenylalanine, alanine, and valine, whereas in vitro they originated mainly from valine, phenylalanine, serine, leucine, alanine, and threonine. The wild strains tested offer a great potential for flavor generation, which might justify their inclusion in a tentative starter/nonstarter culture for that and similar cheeses.     

乳酸菌产胞外多糖的研究

综述了乳酸菌产胞外多糖的研究进展，包括产胞外多糖的菌株、影响生物合成的因素等，并介绍了乳酸菌产胞外多糖的开发及应用。     

大豆蛋白水解物促进乳酸发酵的作用

通过研究添加大豆蛋白水解物对保加利亚乳杆菌培养过程中体系的酸度、粘度、细菌生长量的影响，验证了大豆蛋白水解产物对保加利亚乳杆菌增殖的促进作用。     

干酪加工中的牛奶内源酶和非发酵剂乳酸菌

介绍了干酪加工中起作用的牛奶内源酶及微生物，包括血浆酶、组织蛋白酶D、半胱氨酸蛋白酶、脂蛋白脂肪酶和非发酵剂乳酸菌及它们的作用机制和特性。     

乳酸菌液态发酵兔肉的研究

采用乳酸菌液态发酵法泡制免肉，研制出一种具有泡菜风味的兔肉食品。     

乳酸菌发酵代谢合成叶酸的影响因素

对嗜酸乳杆菌以及乳酸乳球菌发酵合成叶酸的影响因素进行了研究。结果表明,乳酸菌代谢合成叶酸的产率为17~100μg/L,菌种、培养时间、pH值、对氨基苯甲酸(PABA)质量浓度会影响乳酸菌合成叶酸的产量。与乳酸乳球菌乳酸亚种相比,嗜酸乳杆菌CH-2生成的叶酸产量要高。不同菌株生成叶酸的能力与pH值有关,嗜酸乳杆菌在pH值为4.2叶酸产率明显下降,乳酸乳球菌乳酸亚种产叶酸的能力则不受pH值影响。添加PABA可以显著提高乳酸菌的叶酸产率。选择适宜的乳酸菌菌株,优化发酵工艺参数可以提高乳及相关食品中叶酸的质量浓度,达到生物方式强化叶酸的效果。     

FTIR-based polyphasic identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Greek Graviera cheese

This study used a combination of phenotypic, physical (Fourier Transformed Infra-Red [FTIR] spectroscopy) and molecular (RFLP and SSCP analysis of 16S rRNA genes) methods to identify the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) flora present in traditional Greek Graviera cheese after five weeks of ripening. A total of 300 isolates collected from high dilution plates of TSAYE (incubated at 30 °C), M-17 (22 °C) and M-17 (42 °C) agar media were clustered by FTIR and then representative strains of each cluster were cross-identified blindly by all methods. Based on their FTIR spectra, 282 isolates were LAB grouped in 28 clusters. The LAB species identified and their prevalence in the cheese samples were: Lactobacillus casei/paracasei (68.8%), Lactobacillus plantarum (19.5%), Streptococcus thermophilus (8.9%), Enterococcus faecium (2.1%), and Lactococcus lactis (0.7%). Also, Staphylococcus equorum (11 isolates), Corynebacterium sp. (5 isolates) and Brevibacterium sp. (1 isolate) were recovered from TSAYE. Comparative identification results showed that phenotypic and molecular methods were in mutual agreement as regards the LAB species identified. The present polyphasic identification approach based on rapid FTIR screening of 10-fold more isolates than a previous classical identification approach allowed or improved detection of few sub-dominant species; however the predominant LAB species in the cheese samples were the same with both approaches.     

Exopolysaccharides production as affected by lactic acid bacteria and fermentation time

The aim of this work was to examine the ropiness of Lactobacillus helveticus BCRC14030, L. helveticus BCRC14076, and Streptococcus thermophilus BCRC14085, and evaluate the effect of fermentation time on exopolysaccharides (EPS) production by the ropy strain. Each of the three strains was inoculated in skim milk medium and incubated in a fermenter for 0–84 h at pH 5, 37 °C. The fermented samples, containing a net volume of 300 ml skim milk, were withdrawn at intervals of 0, 12, 16, 24, 32, 36, 48, 60, 72, and 84 h for determinations of ropy condition, EPS yield, and molecular mass. EPS with ropiness values of 11.3–21.0 mm, produced from L. helveticus BCRC14030 at 32–60 h demonstrated the ropy nature of the strain. Those EPS were composed of high molecular mass of 26,500 kDa. The highest EPS yield of 0.73 g l⁻¹ from this strain was observed (P < 0.05) at less favourable fermentation condition of 60 h. In addition, a relationship between the presence of high molecular mass and the ropiness of EPS from L. helveticus BCRC14030 was revealed.     

乳酸菌冷冻干燥保护剂的筛选

通过单因素比较和正交试验设计,确定适合保加利亚乳杆菌和嗜热链球菌的最佳冻干保护剂配方。通过对15种冻干保护剂单因素保护效果的比较,以及对选定的4种保护剂的正交试验结果,可以确定嗜热链球菌最佳冻干保护剂配方为脱脂乳粉12%、海藻糖1%、甘油3%、谷氨酸钠1%,保加利亚乳杆菌最佳冻干保护剂配方为脱脂乳粉8%、海藻糖1%、甘油2%、谷氨酸钠1.5%。     

定量PCR技术检测杀菌型产品中乳酸菌

目的利用定量PCR(quantitativePCR,qPCR)技术检测杀菌型产品中乳酸菌,并与标签标示相比较,查探产品中各类菌种的异同性及数量。方法以市售的发酵乳及含乳饮料作为研究对象,设计可区分产品中常见的6种乳酸菌特异性引物及探针,利用qPCR技术对方法的特异性、灵敏度进行验证,并建立标准扩增曲线;利用模拟样品对方法进行检验,最后对市场上购买的实际样品进行检测。结果除去干酪乳杆菌,其他5种引物都能特异性扩增出其目标菌,并且对其他的乳酸菌均无扩增现象;DNA检测的灵敏度可达到2～4pg;单一标准菌种扩增曲线线性较好,相关系数r2值在0.954～0.992之间;对模拟样品的检测,与平板法差异性比较,P值均大于0.05,无显著性差异。对市售样品进行检测,产品中标记的干酪乳杆菌、双歧杆菌和嗜热链球菌与检测结果存在不匹配现象。结论本研究建立的qPCR方法可快速、准确地对产品中德氏乳杆菌保加利亚亚种、嗜热链球菌、乳酸乳球菌、嗜酸乳杆菌、双歧杆菌的鉴定和定量的分析。     

高浓度培养乳酸菌发酵培养基的优化

对一株已经证实具有耐酸、耐胆汁的乳杆菌R8菌株进行培养基的优化研究,以菌体密度为检测指标,采用单因素实验和正交设计实验优化发酵培养基组分,为该益生菌应用于改善胃肠道的健康食品奠定基础。结果显示,该菌最佳发酵配方为:葡萄糖20.0 g,酵母粉30.0 g,MnSO₄·4H₂O 0.075 g,MgSO₄·7H₂O 2.0 g,KH₂PO₄ 2.5 g,柠檬酸铵2.5 g,CH₃COONa·3H₂O 6.25 g,Tween80 1.0 mL,pH6.2。培养基配方经过系统筛选和优化后,菌体浓度(OD_{600 nm})达到2.38。