Effect of malolactic fermentation by Pediococcus damnosus on the composition and sensory profile of Albariño and Caiño white wines.

AIM: This study was aimed to investigate the influence of malolactic fermentation (MLF) on sensory profile and organoleptic characteristics of Albariño and Caiño white wines. METHODS AND RESULTS: Autochthonous bacteria were isolated from wines after alcoholic fermentation (AF) and further identified as Pediococcus damnosus by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. When a commercial Oenococcus oeni starter was inoculated into Albariño and Caiño white wines to perform MLF, which was checked by HPLC quantification of malic and lactic acids, it was shown that autochthonous Ped. damnosus strains were able to predominate over the commercial O. oeni starter and perform MLF in Caiño wine. By contrast, neither commercial strain nor indigenous Pediococcus carried out MLF in Albariño wine. However, MLF was achieved when autochthonous strains that predominated in Caiño were inoculated into Albariño. Sensory analysis showed that after the MLF Albariño increased its body and softness, while Caiño result a more mature wine. CONCLUSIONS: MLF can positively affect Albariño and Caiño wines giving them new attributes. Pediococci isolated and characterized in this work can successfully perform MLF without negative effects on the wine, because no production of biogenic amines or exopolysaccharides by the selected pediococcus strains was detected. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The effect of MLF in the sensory profile of Albariño and Caiño wines has never been studied before. Results obtained in this work showed that Ped. damnosus strains can be considered as a new topic of investigation on malolactic starter.

Chemical evaluation of white wines elaborated with a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain overproducing mannoproteins.

In this study, a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain EKD13 overproducing mannoproteins has been used to obtain Albariño white wines. The inoculated strain prevailed and produced complete fermentation of the must, as also occurred in the case of spontaneous (non-inoculated) fermentation and in the must inoculated with the S. cerevisiae EC1118 strain. The analytical study of the wines obtained showed that the most important chemical differences among the wines produced with EKD-13, corresponded to the high concentration of mannoproteins, 2-phenyl ethanol and tyrosol. These differences were attributed to the expression, during must fermentation, of genes modified in the recombinant EKD-13 strain. The results obtained imply that this strain could be potentially useful to produce wines rich in mannoproteins that have distinctive characteristics compared to other similar wines, modifying the sensorial and technological parameters of the wines obtained.

Technological and safety properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Spanish dry-cured sausages.

Technological and safety-related properties were analyzed in lactic acid bacteria isolated from Spanish dry-cured sausages in order to select them as starter cultures. In relation to technological properties, all the strains showed significative nitrate reductase activity; Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei and 52% of the Enterococcus faecium strains showed lipolytic activity and only Lactobacillus sakei strains (43%) were able to form biofilms. Related to safety aspects, E. faecium strains were the most resistant to antibiotics, whereas, L. sakei strains were the most sensitive. In relation to virulence factors, in the E. faecium strains analyzed, only the presence of efaA gene was detected. The analysis of biogenic amine production showed that most E. faecium strains and L. sakei Al-142 produced tyramine. In conclusion, L. paracasei Al-128 and L. sakei Al-143 strains possess the best properties to be selected as adequate and safe meat starter cultures.

Characterization of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from Spanish dry cured meat products.

Technological and safety-related properties were analyzed in a coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) collection isolated from Spanish dry-cured meat products in order to use them as starter cultures. The highest nitrate reductase and proteolytic activity was showed by Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus equorum. Only a few strains were able to form biofilms and the presence of the ica gene was analyzed on them. In relation to antibiotic resistance, all S. carnosus and most of the S. equorum strains were sensitive to the antibiotics tested and the presence of the blaZ gene in the ß-lactamic resistant strains was studied. Biogenic amines were produced by 25% of the strains analyzed being all the S. carnosus strains tyramine producers. Taking into account the studied properties, two S. equorum strains could be selected as adequate and safe potential starter cultures for the elaboration of meat products.

Interaction of Campylobacter spp. and human probiotics in chicken intestinal mucus.

Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial food-borne diarrhoeal disease throughout the world. The principal risk of human contamination is handling and consumption of contaminated poultry meat. To colonize poultry, Campylobacter adheres to and persists in the mucus layer that covers the intestinal epithelium. Inhibiting adhesion to the mucus could prevent colonization of the intestine. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the protective effect of defined commercial human probiotic strains on the adhesion of Campylobacter spp. to chicken intestinal mucus, in a search for alternatives to antibiotics to control this food-borne pathogen. The probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS and a starter culture strain Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis adhered well to chicken intestinal mucus and were able to reduce the binding of Campylobacter spp. when the mucus was colonized with the probiotic strain before contacting the pathogen. Human-intended probiotics could be useful as prophylactics in poultry feeding for controlling Campylobacter spp. colonization.

Influence of yeast mannoproteins in the aroma improvement of white wines.

UNLABELLED: In the present work, 3 different yeast strains (1, 2, and 3) were used to elaborate white wines using Albariño must. The concentration of polymeric mannose was determined using a method based on the mannoprotein precipitation, hydrolysis and analysis of sylylated mannose derivatives by gas chromatography. Wines elaborated with the strain 1 (W1) presented a higher mannoprotein concentration than the other wines. The analysis of the volatile composition of wines showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among them, being W1 which presented the highest concentration of aroma compounds, mainly terpens and norisoprenoids. The sensorial analysis of wines also showed that W1 had the best quality. The results obtained from this work demonstrate that mannoproteins could be involved in the behavior observed. Some evidences were obtained using a model wine, where 2 major terpens in W1 were preferentially retained by the colloids rich in mannoproteins released by strain 1. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: White wines elaborated with yeast strains overproducing mannoproteins could have better quality than others. Mannoproteins could contribute to aroma enhancement of Albariño white wines.

Effect of mannoproteins on the growth, gastrointestinal viability, and adherence to Caco-2 cells of lactic acid bacteria.

Yeast cell wall (YCW) preparations and yeast mannoprotein extracts have been effective against some enteropathogenic bacteria as Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella, and they can affect the population of beneficial lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In this work, we studied the effect of a mannoprotein extract on five strains of LAB. This extract was metabolised by the bacteria, enhancing their survival in simulated gastrointestinal juice, and increasing the adherence of Lactobacillus plantarum, L. salivarius, and Enterococcus faecium to Caco-2 cells. Yeast mannoproteins are promising naturally occurring compounds that could be used to enhance LAB intestinal populations and control pathogens.

Production of biogenic amines by lactic acid bacteria and enterobacteria isolated from fresh pork sausages packaged in different atmospheres and kept under refrigeration.

The occurrence of in vitro amino acid activity in bacterial strains associated with fresh pork sausages packaged in different atmospheres and kept in refrigeration was studied. The presence of biogenic amines in decarboxylase broth was confirmed by ion-exchange chromatography and by the presence of the corresponding decarboxylase genes by PCR. From the 93 lactic acid bacteria and 100 enterobacteria strains analysed, the decarboxylase medium underestimates the number of biogenic amine-producer strains. 28% of the lactic acid bacteria produced tyramine and presented the tdc gene. All the tyramine-producer strains were molecularly identified as Carnobacterium divergens. Differences on the relative abundance of C. divergens were observed among the different packaging atmospheres assayed. After 28 days of storage, the presence of argon seems to inhibit C. divergens growth, while packing under vacuum seems to favour it. Among enterobacteria, putrescine was the amine more frequently produced (87%), followed by cadaverine (85%); agmatine and tyramine were only produced by 13 and 1%, respectively, of the strains analysed. Packing under vacuum or in an atmosphere containing nitrogen seems to inhibit the growth of enterobacteria which produce simultaneously putrescine, cadaverine, and agmatine. Contrarily, over-wrapping or packing in an atmosphere containing argon seems to favour the growth of agmatine producer-enterobacteria. The production of putrescine and cadaverine was associated with the presence of the corresponding amino acid decarboxylase genes. The biogenic amine-producer strains were included in a wide range of enterobacterial species, including Kluyvera intermedia, Enterobacter aerogenes, Yersinia kristensenii, Serratia grimesii, Serratia ficaria, Yersinia rodhei, Providencia vermicola and Obesumbacterium proteus.

Effect of growth phase on the adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 epithelial cells by Campylobacter.

The effect of growth phase on the adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 epithelial cells by five strains of Campylobacter was studied. No significant differences were observed between the behaviors in the exponential or stationary phases for the most stationary-phase tolerant strains (C. jejuni 118 and C. coli LP2), while the strains that produced a greater reduction in the viability in the stationary phase (C. jejuni 11351, C. jejuni 11168 and C. jejuni LP1), also presented reduced adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 cells. In order to find a possible explanation for the observed differences, the presence of putative virulence factors was studied in the analyzed strains. In spite of the fact that C. jejuni 118 and C. jejuni 11168 strains showed a different adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 cells behavior, they posses identical alleles for ciaB, cadF, and pldA loci. From the virulence factors analyzed, only the flaA locus was different among both strains.

Inhibition by pectic oligosaccharides of the invasion of undifferentiated and differentiated Caco-2 cells by Campylobacter jejuni.

The ability of pectic oligosaccharides (POS) to inhibit adherence to and invasion of undifferentiated (UC) and differentiated (DC) Caco-2 cells by Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) was investigated. It was observed that both adherence and invasion were significantly higher in UC than in DC. POS (2.5mg/ml) had no significant effect on the number of bacteria which can adhere to cells, but they significantly inhibited cell invasion. The extent of the anti-invasive effect of POS was dependent on the concentration, although the entire range tested (from 2.5mg/ml to 0.05 mg/ml) was capable of inhibiting the invasion of Caco-2 cells by Campylobacter to some degree. The pre-incubation or not of C jejuni with POS did not influence the behaviour observed. The results obtained in this work suggest that POS could be potentially useful as alternatives to antibiotics in the control of C. jejuni.

Antimicrobial activity of chitosan against Campylobacter spp. and other microorganisms and its mechanism of action.

The antimicrobial activities of three chitosans with different molecular masses against six gram-negative and three gram-positive bacteria were examined. Campylobacter spp. were the microorganisms most sensitive to chitosan, regardless of their molecular mass. The MIC of chitosan for Campylobacter ranged from 0.005 to 0.05%, demonstrating the global sensitivity of campylobacters to chitosan. Chitosan caused a loss in the membrane integrity of Campylobacter, measured as an increase in cell fluorescence due to the uptake of propidium iodide, a dye that is normally excluded from cells with intact membranes. As cells entered the stationary phase, there was a change in cell membrane resistance toward a loss of integrity caused by chitosan. This study demonstrates that chitosans could be a promising antimicrobial to control Campylobacter.

Inhibition by yeast-derived mannoproteins of adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 cells by Campylobacter jejuni.

The main objective of the present work was to study the influence of yeast-derived mannoproteins on the adherence to and invasion of Caco-2 cells by Campylobacter jejuni. Mannoprotein fractions were prepared by enzymatic and thermal extraction methods. The method used to prepare the mannoprotein extracts influenced their composition and determined the efficacy of the extract against C. jejuni adherence and/or invasion. The availability of mannose in the mannoprotein fraction seemed to be important for inhibiting effective adherence and invasion of Caco-2-cells by C. jejuni, although protein moieties also played a role in the process. The study of the mechanisms involved in the inhibition of C. jejuni adherence and invasion by mannoproteins may have further implications in the control of this foodborne pathogen.

Effects of aging and heat treatment on whole yeast cells and yeast cell walls and on adsorption of ochratoxin A in a wine model system.

A wine model was evaluated to determine the influence of aging on the ability of whole yeast cells (WY) and yeast cell walls (YCW) to remove ochratoxin A (OTA). Aging and autolysis were monitored for 214 h in the model wine. The original concentration of OTA in the model wine was 10 microg/liter, and WY and YCW were added at a final concentration of 1 g/liter. YCW mannoproteins were involved in the removal of OTA from the model wine through adsorption mechanisms. Aging affected the capacity of WY to remove OTA, but YCW removal capacity remained constant during aging. A previous heat treatment (85 degrees C for 10 min) of WY and YCW increased their removal capacity and increased the efficiency of the decontamination process.

Biogenic amine production by Gram-positive bacteria isolated from Spanish dry-cured "chorizo" sausage treated with high pressure and kept in chilled storage.

We studied the production of biogenic amines by 200 strains of lactic acid bacteria and staphylococci isolated during chilled storage from samples of Spanish dry-cured "chorizo" sausage treated with high-pressure. The presence of biogenic amines in a decarboxylase synthetic broth was confirmed by ion-exchange chromatography. ß-phenylethylamine was the biogenic amine more frequently produced (22.5%), followed by tyramine (7.5%). In tyramine producer-strains the presence of a tyrosine decarboxylase gene was confirmed by PCR. Among lactic acid bacteria, the production of tyramine was mainly related to the species Lactobacillus curvatus. Most of the L. curvatus strains were also ß-phenylethylamine-producers. In relation to staphylococci, tyramine-production was mainly associated to Staphylococcus carnosus strains. The S. carnosus strains analysed in this study produced ß-phenylethylamine or ß-phenylethylamine and tyramine simultaneously. RAPD-PCR results indicated that the biogenic amine-producer S. carnosus population changes along storage independently of the high-pressure treatment.

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a histidine decarboxylase from Staphylococcus capitis.

AIMS: Histamine intoxication is probably the best known toxicological problem of food-borne disease. A histamine-producing Staphylococcus capitis strain has been isolated from a cured meat product. The aim of this study was to gain deeper insights into the genetic determinants for histamine production in Staph. capitis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The nucleotide sequence of a 6446-bp chromosomal DNA fragment containing the hdcA gene encoding histidine decarboxylase (HDC) has been determined in Staph. capitis IFIJ12. This DNA fragment contains five complete and two partial open reading frames. Putative functions have been assigned to gene products by sequence comparison with proteins included in the databases. The hdcA gene has been expressed in Escherichia coli resulting in HDC activity. The presence of a functional promoter (Phdc) located upstream of hdcA has been demonstrated. Insertion of the histamine biosynthetic locus in Staph. capitis seems to be associated with a noticeable genome reorganization. CONCLUSIONS: Among the staphylococcal species analysed in this study only Staph. capitis strains produce histamine. The hdcA gene cloned from Staph. capitis encodes a functional HDC that produce histamine from the amino acid histidine. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The identification of the DNA region involved in histamine production in Staph. capitis will allow further work in order to avoid histamine production in foods.

Biogenic amine production in Spanish dry-cured "chorizo" sausage treated with high-pressure and kept in chilled storage.

Biogenic amine formation and microbiota evolution were assessed in Spanish dry-cured "chorizo" sausage treated with high-pressure (HP) and kept at 2°C. High-pressures did not affect (p<0.05) pH or water activity (a(w)). However, HP treatment did significantly reduce the level of lactic acid bacteria, by <1 logarithmic unit. Microorganism levels remained low throughout storage and the only significant reduction was in the HP treated lot at 160 days. The HP treatment caused a reduction (p<0.05) of tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine levels, while there was a significant increase in spermidine. Amine levels increased (p<0.05) in the course of storage, although unrelated to increased microorganism levels, possibly because decarboxylase activity continued in the substrate during storage. HP seems to be effective for reducing the formation of biogenic amines in this kind of product.

Isolation and characterization of a thermally extracted yeast cell wall fraction potentially useful for improving the foaming properties of sparkling wines.

Two different yeast cell wall extracts were obtained using enzymatic digestion and thermal treatment. The effects of the extracts obtained on the foaming properties of a model wine and two sparkling wines were studied. The model wine and sparkling wines, supplemented with the thermal extract, presented better foaming properties than did the samples supplemented with the enzymatic extract. The fractioning (Con A chromatography) and characterization (SDS-PAGE, SEC, GC, and RP-HPLC) of both extracts showed that the fraction responsible for the foaming properties is constituted by mannoproteins with a relative molecular weight between 10 and 30 kDa, presenting an equilibrated composition of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic protein domains. This thermal extract did not modify the protein stability in both the model wine and the sparkling wines. These results demonstrate that the enrichment of a sparkling wine with mannoproteins extracted by mild heat procedures will contribute to improving its foaming properties.

Yeast autolytic mutants potentially useful for sparkling wine production.

A selection method, based on a temperature-sensitive autolytic phenotype, has been used to genetically improve a second fermentation Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain by UV mutagenesis. The mutations carried by the resulting strains affected cell morphology, growth kinetics, sporulation and the release of nitrogenous compounds in an accelerated autolysis experimental model. Their fermentation power was not severely impaired.

Influence of the yeast strain on the changes of the amino acids, peptides and proteins during sparkling wine production by the traditional method.

The influence of five yeast strains on the nitrogen fractions, amino acids, peptides and proteins, during 12 months of aging of sparkling wines produced by the traditional or Champenoise method, was studied. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques were used for analysis of the amino acid and peptide fractions. Proteins plus polypeptides were determined by the colorimetric Bradford method. Four main stages were detected in the aging of wines with yeast. In the first stage, a second fermentation took place; amino acids and proteins plus polypeptides diminished, and peptides were liberated. In the second stage, there was a release of amino acids and proteins, and peptides were degraded. In the third stage, the release of proteins and peptides predominated. In the fourth stage, the amino acid concentration diminished. The yeast strain used influenced the content of free amino acids and peptides and the aging time in all the nitrogen fractions.

Release of nitrogen compounds to the extracellular medium by three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during induced autolysis in a model wine system.

To detect differences among three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae used in the manufacture of sparkling wines and to study the changes in nitrogen compounds during autolysis, a model wine system was used. Significant differences were observed between the mean values of the autolytic capacity of the three strains. The amount of nitrogen (total, protein, peptide and amino) present in the autolysates and the concentration of most free amino acids was significantly affected by the strain. These findings suggest that the strain of yeast used in the manufacture of sparkling wines can play an important role in the aging process and can affect final composition.