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Vibrational spectroscopy techniques, which have traditionally been used to provide non-destructive, rapid, and relevant information on microbial systematics, are useful for classification and identification. In conjunction with advanced chemometrics, infrared spectroscopy enables the biochemical signatures from microbiological structures to be extracted and analysed. In addition, a number of recent studies have shown that Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy can help to understand the molecular basis of events, such as the adaptive tolerance responses expressed by bacteria when exposed to stress conditions in the environment, i.e. environments that cells confront in food and durin...
Materials and equipment in food processing industries are colonized by surface-associated microbial communities called biofilms. In these biostructures microorganisms are embedded in a complex organic matrix composed essentially of polysaccharides, nucleic acids and proteins. This organic shield contributes to the mechanical biofilm cohesion and triggers tolerance to environmental stresses such as dehydratation or nutrient deprivation. Notably, cells within a biofilm are more tolerant to sanitation processes and the action of antimicrobial agents than their free living (or planktonic) counterparts. Such properties make conventional cleaning and disinfection protocols normally not effective i...
The majority of microbes in many environments are considered “as yet uncultured” and were traditionally considered inaccessible for study through the microbiological gold standard of pure culture. The emergence of metagenomic approaches has allowed researchers to access and study these microbes in a culture-independent manner through DNA sequencing and functional expression of metagenomic DNA in a heterologous host. Metagenomics has revealed an extraordinary degree of diversity and novelty, not only among microbial communities themselves, but also within the genomes of these microbes. This Research Topic aims to showcase the utility of metagenomics to gain insights on the microbial and genomic diversity in different environments by revealing the breadth of novelty that was in the past, largely untapped.
This Brief focuses on Listeria monocytogenes, from isolation methods and characterization (including whole genome sequencing), to manipulation and control. Listeriosis, a foodborne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes is a major concern for public health authorities. In addition, addressing issues relating to L. monocytogenes is a major economic burden on industry. Awareness of its ubiquitous nature and understanding its physiology and survival are important aspects of its control in the food processing environment and the reduction of the public health concern.
Throughout the food processing chain and after ingestion by the host, food associated bacteria have to cope with a range of stress factors such as thermal and/or non-thermal inactivation treatments, refrigeration temperatures, freeze-drying, high osmolarity, acid pH in the stomach or presence of bile salts in the intestine, that threaten bacterial survival. The accompanying plethora of microbial response and adaptation phenomena elicited by these stresses has important implications for food technology and safety. Indeed, while resistance development of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms may impose health risks for the consumer and impart great economic losses to food industries, reduced ...
A significant increase in the prevalence of campylobacteriosis cases has been observed over the past years. Campylobacter has emerged as the leading cause of bacterial foodborne disease worldwide with a significant impact on human health and an associated economic burdens. Campylobacteriosis human cases have been generally correlated with the handling, preparation and consumption of poultry. In 2017, the European Commission regulation has amended Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on the hygiene of foodstuffs as regards Campylobacter on broiler carcasses stating a limit of 1000 cfu/g. Campylobacter is also present in other farm animals and is frequently found on a range of foodstuffs due to cross ...
The transmission route used by many bacterial pathogens of clinical importance includes a step outside the host; thereafter refer to as the non-clinical environment (NCE). Obvious examples include foodborne and waterborne pathogens and also pathogens that are transmitted by hands or aerosols. In the NCE, pathogens have to cope with the presence of toxic compounds, sub-optimal temperature, starvation, presence of competitors and predators. Adaptation of bacterial pathogens to such stresses affects their interaction with the host. This Research Topic presents important concept to understand the life of bacterial pathogens in the NCE and provides the reader with an overview of the strategies used by bacterial pathogens to survive and replicate outside the host.
The use of microorganisms and their metabolites for the preservation of foods began in prehistory. Lactic acid bacteria are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for this purpose. They produce organic acids, diacetyl, acetoin, hydrogen peroxide, reuterin, reutericyclin and bacteriocins, all of which inhibit foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Bacteriocins and the strains that produce them are particularly effective as bio-preservatives in cheese, meat and vegetables. They hold the promise of ensuring the quality and safety of ready-to-eat, extended-shelf-life, fresh-tasting and minimally processed foods without chemical preservatives. This Research Topic provides an overview of bacterial cultures, bacteriocins and other metabolites that have shown promise for use as antimicrobial bio-preservatives in foods in general. Articles describing novel analytical technologies, strategies to reduce or eliminate pathogens in food systems or emerging technologies for the production or use of protective cultures or their bacteriocins are presented.
Food is the first necessity for humans to survive with huge amounts of food consumed daily worldwide. Globalization of food industry results in an increasingly complex food chain, making food safety a universal issue. Many millions of people in the world become sick while hundreds of thousand die annually due to consumption of contaminated food. Pathogenic bacteria contaminate food at any stages in the food chain, including production, processing, supplying, and storage. The most commonly known bacterial pathogens associated with human foodborne diseases worldwide are Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Cronobacter sakazakii, Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This eBook includes publications on recent discoveries in genetic diversity, prevalence, resistance and novel transmission vectors; molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis; and new compounds and treatment strategies for better control of the human foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The information in the articles supports the urgent need for improving food safety and public health, particularly in globalization background.
With the advances in the field of molecular biology, new tools make it possible to conduct in-depth studies in food microbial communities from a molecular perspective. Information from genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies can be integrated through bioinformatic applications, thereby improving our understanding of the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors and concomitantly the physiology of starter cultures, spoilage and pathogenic microbiota. Improvements in the speed, accuracy and reliability of food quality and safety assessment have made the foundation stronger for future developments including the exploitation of gene networks and applications of nanotechnology and systems biology. This book reviews all these developments, provides an integrated view of the subject and helps in identifying areas of future development.