Physicochemical and structural characterisation of a branched dextran type exopolysaccharide (EPS) from Weissella confusa S6 isolated from fermented sausage (Sucuk).

Exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) species can be presented in distinct environments. In this study, Turkish fermented sausage (sucuk) was tested for the presence of EPS producer LAB strains and slimy-mucoid colonies were selected for further tests. Among the isolates, Weissella confusa strain S6 was identified and tested for the physicochemical characterisation of its EPS. This strain was found to produce 0.74 g L-1 of EPS in modified BHI medium conditions. Structural characterisation of EPS S6 by 1H and 13C NMR demonstrated that EPS S6 was a highly branched dextran type glucan formed by mainly (1 â†’ 2)-linked α-d-glucose units together with low levels of (1 â†’ 3)-linked α-d-glucose units as branching points. This structure was further confirmed by methylation analysis detected by GC-MS. An average molecular weight of 8 × 106 Da was detected for dextran S6. The FTIR analysis supported the dextran structure and revealed the presence of distinct functional groups within dextran S6 structure. A strong thermal profile was observed for dextran S6 detected by DSC and TGA analysis and dextran S6 revealed a degradation temperature of 289 °C. In terms of physical status, dextran S6 showed amorphous nature detected by XRD analysis. SEM analysis of dextran S6 demonstrated its rough, compact and porous morphology whereas AFM analysis of dextran S6 detected in its water solution showed the irregularity with no clear cross-link within the dextran chains. These technological features of dextran S6 suggests its potential to be used for in situ or ex situ application during meat fermentations.

Multilocus sequence typing of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus strains from Turkish traditional yoghurts and characterisation of their techno-functional roles.

In this study, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains from traditional Turkish yoghurts were isolated, identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and genotypically 14 S. thermophilus and 6 L. bulgaricus strains were obtained as distinct strains by MLST analysis. Lactic acid production levels of the L. bulgaricus strains were higher than S. thermophilus strains. HPLC analysis showed that EPS monosaccharide composition of the strains mainly consisted of glucose and galactose. In general, all strains were found to be susceptible for antibiotics, except some strains were resistance to gentamicin and kanamycin. Apart from two strains of S. thermophilus, all strains displayed strong auto-aggregation level greater than 95% at 24 h incubation. S. thermophilus strains showed higher cell surface hydrophobicity than L. bulgaricus strains. This study demonstrated the isolation, identification, genotypic discrimination and techno-functional features of wild type yoghurt starter cultures which can potentially find place in industrial applications. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01366-2.

Egg Yolk-Free Vegan Mayonnaise Preparation from Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Gum Nanoparticles with or without Loading Olive Pomace Extracts.

The yolk-free mayonnaise was formed by Pickering emulsions stabilized by free and encapsulated olive pomace extracts (OPEs) in rocket seed [rocket seed gum nanoparticle (RSGNP)] and chia seed gum nanoparticles at different nanoparticle concentrations. The yolk-free mayonnaise and the control mayonnaise samples were compared in terms of appearance, microstructural, droplet size, emulsion stability, rheological, oxidative stability, and sensory properties. The droplet size decreased by increasing the nanoparticle concentration in yolk-free mayonnaise samples. The yolk-free mayonnaise samples prepared with OPE-loaded gum nanoparticle showed shear-thinning, solid-like and recoverable characteristics, which increased as the increase in the nanoparticle concentration. The emulsion stability and capacity increased by increasing the nanoparticle concentration in the yolk-free mayonnaise samples. OPE-loaded gum nanoparticle-stabilized yolk-free mayonnaise samples exhibited higher IP (induction period) values than the control samples. OPE-RSGNP 1% mayonnaise was observed to be the closest sample to the control sample with its sensory properties, general acceptability, and similar microstructural and rheological properties. The results of this study indicated that Pickering emulsions stabilized by gum nanoparticles could be used as healthy alternatives to the egg yolk in conventional mayonnaise.

Effects of Different Drying Methods on Drying Kinetics, Microstructure, Color, and the Rehydration Ratio of Minced Meat.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different drying methods, namely ultrasound-assisted vacuum drying (USV), vacuum drying (VD), and freeze-drying (FD), on the drying kinetics and some quality parameters of dried minced meat. In this study, USV was for the first time applied to the drying of minced meat. The USV and VD methods were conducted at 25 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C. The different drying methods and temperatures significantly affected the drying time (p < 0.05). The USV method showed lower drying times at all temperatures. The rehydration values of the freeze-dried minced meat samples were higher than those obtained by the USV and VD techniques. The samples prepared using USV showed higher rehydration values than the vacuum dried samples for all temperatures. The effects of the different drying techniques and drying conditions on the microstructural properties of the minced meat samples were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The USV method resulted in higher porosity and a more open structure than the VD method. Total color differences (ΔE) for VD, USV, and FD were 8.27-20.81, 9.58-16.42, and 9.38, respectively, and were significantly affected by the drying methods and temperatures (p < 0.05). Higher drying temperature increased the ΔE value. Peroxide values (PV) significantly increased after the drying process, and samples treated with USV showed lower PV values than the VD treated samples. This study suggests that USV could be used as an alternative drying method for minced meat drying due to lower drying times and higher quality parameters.