Elena Sorrentino

Production of functional probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic ice creams

In this work, 3 types of ice cream were produced: a probiotic ice cream produced by adding potentially probiotic microorganisms such as Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus; a prebiotic ice cream produced by adding inulin, a prebiotic substrate; and a synbiotic ice cream produced by adding probiotic microorganisms and inulin in combination. In addition to microbial counts, pH, acidity, and physical and functional properties of the ice creams were evaluated. The experimental ice creams preserved the probiotic bacteria and had counts of viable lactic acid bacteria after frozen storage that met the minimum required to achieve probiotic effects. Moreover, most of the ice creams showed good nutritional and sensory properties, with the best results obtained with Lb. casei and 2.5% inulin.

NMR metabolic profiling of organic and aqueous sea bass extracts: Implications in the discrimination of wild and cultured sea bass

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique was used as analytical tool to determine the complete metabolic profiling of sea bass extracts: water-soluble metabolites belonging to different classes such as sugars, amino acids, dipeptides and organic acids as well as metabolites soluble in organic solvent such as lipids, sterols and fatty acids were identified. The metabolite profiling together with a suitable statistical analysis were used to discriminate between wild and cultured sea bass samples. Preliminary results show that discrimination between wild and cultured sea bass was obtained not only using fatty acid composition but also cholesterol and phosphatidylethanolamine and some water-soluble metabolites such as choline, trimethylamine oxide, glutamine, fumaric and malic acids.

Presence of yeasts in southern Italian sourdoughs from Triticum aestivum flour

Samples of sourdoughs obtained from 13 artisanal bakeries located in the Molise and Campania regions were analysed. The sourdoughs were produced with the exclusive use of Triticum aestivum wheat flour. pH values of sourdoughs from Molise were generally lower than those from Campania. The number of yeasts in the samples of sourdoughs from Molise was generally higher than in those from Campania, which in two cases evidenced counts about 2 log cfu x g(-1). By utilising and comparing traditional and biomolecular techniques of identification a complete picture of the isolates was obtained: 58 strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, five as Candida colliculosa, four as C. lambica, three as C. krusei, three as C. valida and two as C. glabrata.

Homology-based modeling of Universal Stress Protein from Listeria innocua up-regulated under acid stress conditions

An Universal Stress Protein (USP) expressed under acid stress condition by Listeria innocua ATCC 33090 was investigated. The USP was up-regulated not only in the stationary phase but also during the exponential growth phase. The three dimensional (3D) structure of USP was predicted using a combined proteomic and bioinformatics approach. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the USP from Listeria detected in our study was distant from the USPs of other bacteria (such as Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp.) and clustered in a separate and heterogeneous class including several USPs from Listeria spp. and Lactobacillus spp. An important information on the studied USP was obtained from the 3D-structure established through the homology modeling procedure. In detail, the Model_USP-691 suggested that the investigated USP had a homo-tetrameric quaternary structure. Each monomer presented an architecture analogous to the Rossmann-like α/β-fold with five parallel β-strands, and four α-helices. The analysis of monomer-monomer interfaces and quality of the structure alignments confirmed the model reliability. In fact, the structurally and sequentially conserved hydrophobic residues of the β-strand 5 (in particular the residues V146 and V148) were involved in the inter-chains contact. Moreover, the highly conserved residues I139 and H141 in the region α4 were involved in the dimer association and functioned as hot spots into monomer–monomer interface assembly. The hypothetical assembly of dimers was also supported by the large interface area and by the negative value of solvation free energy gain upon interface interaction. Finally, the structurally conserved ATP-binding motif G-2X-G-9X-G(S/T-N) suggested for a putative role of ATP in stabilizing the tetrameric assembly of the USP. Therefore, the results obtained from a multiple approach, consisting in the application of kinetic, proteomic, phylogenetic and modeling analyses, suggest that Listeria USP could be considered a new type of ATP-binding USP involved in the response to acid stress condition during the exponential growth phase.

Raw milk from vending machines: Effects of boiling, microwave treatment, and refrigeration on microbiological quality

In Italy, the sale of raw milk from vending machines has been allowed since 2004. Boiling treatment before its use is mandatory for the consumer, because the raw milk could be an important source of foodborne pathogens. This study fits into this context with the aim to evaluate the microbiological quality of 30 raw milk samples periodically collected (March 2013 to July 2013) from 3 vending machines located in Molise, a region of southern Italy. Milk samples were stored for 72 h at 4 °C and then subjected to different treatments, such as boiling and microwaving, to simulate domestic handling. The results show that all the raw milk samples examined immediately after their collection were affected by high microbial loads, with values very close to or even greater than those acceptable by Italian law. The microbial populations increased during refrigeration, reaching after 72 h values of about 8.0 log cfu/mL for Pseudomonas spp., 6.5 log cfu/mL for yeasts, and up to 4.0 log cfu/mL for Enterobacteriaceae. Boiling treatment, applied after 72 h to refrigerated milk samples, caused complete decontamination, but negatively affected the nutritional quality of the milk, as demonstrated by a drastic reduction of whey proteins. The microwave treatment at 900 W for 75 s produced microbiological decontamination similar to that of boiling, preserving the content in whey proteins of milk. The microbiological characteristics of raw milk observed in this study fully justify the obligation to boil the raw milk from vending machines before consumption. However, this study also showed that domestic boiling causes a drastic reduction in the nutritional value of milk. Microwave treatment could represent a good alternative to boiling, on the condition that the process variables are standardized for safe domestic application.

Interactions between Lactobacillus sakei and CNC (Staphylococcus xylosus and Kocuria varians) and their influence on proteolytic activity

Aims:  To evaluate interactions between Lactobacillus sakei and coagulase negative cocci (CNC) (Staphylococcus xylosus and Kocuria varians) and to investigate the influence of these interactions on their own proteolytic activity.

Interactions between strains of Staphylococcus xylosus and Kocuria varians isolated from fermented meats

Aims:  To evaluate the interactions of Staphylococcus xylosus on Kocuria varians strains isolated from fermented meat products.

Irradiation Treatments to Improve the Shelf Life of Fresh Black Truffles (Truffles Preservation by Gamma-Rays)

The aim of this study was to individuate a method to improve the shelf life of fresh truffles, hypogeous fungi highly prized but very perishable as well. Microbial ecology of fresh products was investigated and the effect of irradiation at different doses on microbial and sensorial parameters was assayed. Data showed that fresh truffles are strongly contaminated from different groups of microorganisms. Irradiation was able to influence their growth, determining an impressive reduction. Treatments at 5 and 10 kGy doses produced the highest microbial decontamination but negatively influenced sensorial parameters. Irradiation at a 1.5 kGy dose was the best solution to improve the shelf life of truffles.

Microbiological and fermentative properties of baker's yeast starter used in breadmaking.

This study assessed the levels of microbial contaminants in liquid, compressed and dry commercial bakers yeasts used as starters in breadmaking. Eumycetes, Enterobacteriaceae, total and fecal coliforms, Bacillus spp., and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in particular enterococci, were quantified. Results obtained in this study highlighted that bakers yeast could represent a potential vehicle of spoilage and undesirable microorganisms into the baking environment, even if these do not influence the leavening activity in the dough, as ascertained by rheofermentometer analysis. Different microbial groups, such as spore-forming bacteria and moulds, were found in bakers yeast starters. Moreover, different species of LAB, which are considered the main contaminants in large-scale yeast fermentations, were isolated and identified by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and 16S rDNA sequencing. The most recurrent species were Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus durans, isolated from both compressed and dry starters, whereas strains belonging to Leuconostoc and Pediococcus genera were found only in dry ones. Nested-Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested-PCR) and Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) were also used to highlight the biodiversity of the different commercial yeast strains, and to ascertain the culture purity.

Shelf Life of Fresh Sausages Stored under Modified Atmospheres

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for the improvement of the shelf life of fresh meat products. Three different conditions for preserving fresh sausages were tested: MAP1 (20% CO2, 70% O2, and 10% N2), MAP2 (40% CO2 and 60% O2), and MAP3 (40% CO2, 30% O2, and 30% N2). Samples from the MAP2 group had fewer spoilage bacteria, stable red color (no change of a* value), and good physical attributes (high water-holding capacity, little loss from cooking, and low shear force needed for cutting) compared with samples from other treatment groups. Thus, high concentrations of CO2 (40%) and O2 (60%) resulted in a longer shelf life for fresh sausages.