Biosafety measures for Alicyclobacillus spp. strains across various levels of biohazard.

Alicyclobacillus bacteria are important contaminants in the beverage industry because their spores remain in the product after usual pasteurization. At the same time, their impact on human health has yet to be characterized, as it is generally assumed to be low or non-existent. However, these bacteria are causing quality concerns mainly due to odor and taste changes of the product. Since potential health effects are not precisely known, an experimental assessment was performed, including a biosafety assessment of six viable and non-viable vegetative and spore forms of Alicyclobacillus spp. strains using cell cultures and rodent study. The monolayer of Caco-2 (Cancer coli-2) cells was investigated for its adsorption effect on the epithelium of the small intestine of mice. Lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH) and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) tests were used to ensure the integrity of the cell membrane and tight junctions. The methylthiazole tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay examined in vitro cytotoxicity in Caco-2 and HepG2 cell lines. The hemolysis of erythrocytes was spectrophotometrically measured. The results showed negligible cytotoxicity or non-toxic response in mice. In conclusion, Alicyclobacillus spp. exhibited biocompatibility with negligible cytotoxicity and minimal safety concerns.

Combination of enzymatically hydrolyzed potato powder with skimmed milk powder on the quality improvements of yogurt during refrigeration storage.

This study aimed to prepare a stirred type of fat-free yogurt from enzymatically hydrolyzed potato powder (EHPP) and skimmed milk powder (SMP) without changing its quality and consumer acceptance. The yogurt formulations prepared contained different amount of EHPP 0, 10, 25 and 50% and were stored for 28 days at 4 °C and observed that with increasing substitution ratio, acid production was increased while the viability of lactic acid bacteria was decreased after 28 days of storage at 4 °C. The antioxidant activities (2-Diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of the yogurt were increased with increasing EHPP over the storage period. The yogurt formulations having 25 to 50% EHPP has the highest DPPH free radical scavenging activity and FRAP values. Water holding capacity (WHC) was decreased over the storage period with 25% EHPP. The hardness, adhesiveness and gumminess were decreased while no significant change was found in springiness with EHPP addition over the storage period. The rheological analysis showed an elastic behavior of yogurt gels with EHPP supplementation. The sensory results of yogurt containing 25% EHPP have the highest values of taste and acceptance. Yogurt in combination with EHPP and SMP has the higher levels of WHC than non-supplemented yogurt and better stability was recorded during storage. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05737-9.