Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms in Food Industry

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 9412

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 80060-000, Brazil
Interests: food biotechnology; fermentation processes; microbial diversity; starter culture selection; molecular biology; environmental microbiology; probiotics; engineering education

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Guest Editor
Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 80060-000, Brazil
Interests: monascus; microbial biopigments; solid substrate fermentation; microalgal biomass production and processing; process integration for reuse of agroindustrial residues
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 80060-000, Brazil
Interests: cocoa; coffee fermentations; molecular genetics; food fermentation; microbiology

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Guest Editor
Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba 80060-000, Brazil
Interests: bioprocess engineering and fermentation technology; fermentation; chemical engineering; biotechnology; bacteriology; enzymes; applied microbiology; PCR; microbial biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production of fermented foods and beverages dates back as far as 10,000 B.C. in the Neolithic period. This process most certainly began as a favorable outcome of the recurrent microbial contamination of plant and animal materials, which resulted in long-lasting fermented products. The demand for hygienic production practices has increased the appeal of using starter culture and stainless-steel tanks in industrial bioprocesses, such as the production of yogurt, beer, wine, coffee, and cider. At present, several bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi and microalgae are used for the controlled conversion of food components through enzymatic action.

This Special Issue is dedicated to all aspects related to biotechnology applied to the food industry, focused on the microbiology of foods or food production environments, including all stages of food production.

Potential research topics include but are not limited to:

  1. Microbial communities and ecology of rudimentary and industrial fermentations;
  2. Methods for the detection, identification and enumeration of microorganisms associated with the food production chain;
  3. Sensory analysis of fermented foods;
  4. Starter culture selection;
  5. Probiotics;
  6. Formulation of new fermented products;
  7. Microalgae applied to food production;
  8. Viruses associated with fermented foods;
  9. Foodomics;
  10. Bioactive compounds;
  11. Coffee and cocoa fermentations;
  12. Alcoholic beverage fermentation;
  13. Vegetable and soy fermentations;
  14. Sourdough;
  15. Dairy;
  16. Vinegar.

Prof. Dr. Gilberto Vinícius de Melo Pereira 
Prof. Dr. Julio Cesar De Carvalho
Prof. Dr. Dão Pedro de Carvalho Neto
Prof. Dr. Carlos Ricardo Soccol
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food fermentation 
  • fermented products 
  • probiotics 
  • starter culture 
  • alcoholic beverage 
  • cocoa 
  • coffee 
  • dairy 
  • foodomics 
  • sourdough 
  • sensory analysis 
  • microbial ecology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2923 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Protease and Amylase Activities in Bacillus licheniformis XS-4 for Traditional Soy Sauce Fermentation Using ARTP Mutagenesis
by Andong Zhang, Yudong Ma, Yue Deng, Zhiwei Zhou, Yue Cao, Bin Yang, Jing Bai and Qun Sun
Foods 2023, 12(12), 2381; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122381 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1362
Abstract
This study was conducted to increase the enzymatic activity of Bacillus licheniformis XS-4, which was isolated from the traditional fermented mash of Xianshi soy sauce. The mutation was induced by atmospheric and room-temperature plasma (ARTP), and a mutant strain, mut80, was obtained. mut80 [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to increase the enzymatic activity of Bacillus licheniformis XS-4, which was isolated from the traditional fermented mash of Xianshi soy sauce. The mutation was induced by atmospheric and room-temperature plasma (ARTP), and a mutant strain, mut80, was obtained. mut80 exhibited significant increases in protease and amylase activity by 90.54% and 143.10%, respectively, and the enhanced enzymatic activities were stably maintained after 20 consecutive incubations. Re-sequencing analysis of mut80 revealed that the mutation sites were located in 1518447(AT-T) and 4253106(G-A) in its genome, which was involved in the metabolic pathways of amino acids. The expression of the protease synthetic gene (aprX) increased 1.54 times, while that of the amylase gene (amyA) increased 11.26 times, as confirmed via RT-qPCR. Using ARTP mutagenesis, the present study proposes a highly efficient microbial resource with enhanced protease and amylase activity provided by B. licheniformis, which can potentially be used to improve the efficiency of traditional soy sauce fermentation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms in Food Industry)
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20 pages, 1984 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Effects of Self-Induced Anaerobic Fermentation on Coffee Beans Quality: Microbiological, Metabolic, and Sensory Studies
by Alexander da Silva Vale, Gabriel Balla, Luiz Roberto Saldanha Rodrigues, Dão Pedro de Carvalho Neto, Carlos Ricardo Soccol and Gilberto Vinícius de Melo Pereira
Foods 2023, 12(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010037 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4122
Abstract
In this study, an investigation of the microbial community structure and chemical changes in different layers of a static coffee beans fermentation tank (named self-induced anaerobic fermentation—SIAF) was conducted at different times (24, 48, and 72 h). The microbial taxonomic composition comprised a [...] Read more.
In this study, an investigation of the microbial community structure and chemical changes in different layers of a static coffee beans fermentation tank (named self-induced anaerobic fermentation—SIAF) was conducted at different times (24, 48, and 72 h). The microbial taxonomic composition comprised a high prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae and Nectriaceae and low prevalence of lactic acid bacteria and yeast, which greatly differs from the traditional process performed in open tanks. No major variation in bacterial and fungal diversity was observed between the bottom, middle, and top layers of the fermentation tank. On the other hand, the metabolism of these microorganisms varied significantly, showing a higher consumption of pulp sugar and production of metabolites in the bottom and middle layers compared to the top part of the fermentation tank. Extended processes (48 and 72 h) allowed a higher production of key-metabolites during fermentation (e.g., 3-octanol, ethyl acetate, and amyl acetate), accumulation in roasted coffee beans (acetic acid, pyrazine, methyl, 2-propanone, 1-hydroxy), and diversification of sensory profiles of coffee beverages compared to 24 h of fermentation process. In summary, this study demonstrated that SIAF harbored radically different dominant microbial groups compared to traditional coffee processing, and diversification of fermentation time could be an important tool to provide coffee beverages with novel and desirable flavor profiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms in Food Industry)
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13 pages, 1413 KiB  
Article
Metagenomic Analysis of Liquor Starter Culture Revealed Beneficial Microbes’ Presence
by Ahmad Ud Din, Waqar Ahmad, Taj Malook Khan, Jun Wang and Jianbo Wu
Foods 2023, 12(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010025 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2161
Abstract
Wines are complex matrices famous for their pleasant aroma and exceptional flavor. Baijiu (white wine) is a traditional Chinese liquor with a soft mouthfeel, fragrant taste, and long-lasting aftertaste. Baijiu is distilled from sorghum and wheat via solid fermentation. As in wines, the [...] Read more.
Wines are complex matrices famous for their pleasant aroma and exceptional flavor. Baijiu (white wine) is a traditional Chinese liquor with a soft mouthfeel, fragrant taste, and long-lasting aftertaste. Baijiu is distilled from sorghum and wheat via solid fermentation. As in wines, the microbial ecosystem of Baijiu is a key decisive factor influencing aroma and consumer preferences. Microbial diversity in Baijiu has been intensively investigated. It is important to note that probiotics are a mixture of bacteria and yeast primarily intended to improve health. Our study aimed to characterize the microbial ecosystem of Zaopei Baijiu Daqu (ZBD) starter cultures for specific microbes with probiotic properties. The DNA samples of ZBD starters were analyzed using a metagenomic 16S rRNA approach to characterize the bacterial and ITS for fungal diversity. Weissella cibaria was the most dominant species in the bacterial community, while Saccharomycopsis fibuligera was the most abundant fungal species. Furthermore, functional prediction analysis identified unique pathways associated with microbial diversity relevant to functional innovation. These associated pathways include fermentation, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, and membrane transport. This study identified beneficial microbes in the starter culture, opening a path for further in-depth analysis of those microbes by isolating and evaluating them for a valuable role in in vitro and in vivo studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms in Food Industry)
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15 pages, 1340 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Two Zymomonas mobilis Wild Strains and Analysis of Populations Dynamics during Their Leavening of Bread-like Doughs
by Claudia Picozzi, Elisa Clagnan, Alida Musatti, Manuela Rollini and Lorenzo Brusetti
Foods 2022, 11(18), 2768; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182768 - 08 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1156
Abstract
Two Zymomonas mobilis wild strains (UMB478 and 479) isolated from water kefir were characterized for their biomass production levels and leavening performance when used as the inoculum of a real bread-like dough formulation. The obtained baked product would be consumable by people with [...] Read more.
Two Zymomonas mobilis wild strains (UMB478 and 479) isolated from water kefir were characterized for their biomass production levels and leavening performance when used as the inoculum of a real bread-like dough formulation. The obtained baked product would be consumable by people with adverse responses to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In liquid cultures, the two strains reached similar biomass concentration (0.7 g CDW/L). UMB479 showed an interesting resistance to NaCl (MBC 30 g/L), that may be useful in the bakery sector. When inoculated in doughs, UMB479 produced the maximum dough volume (650 mL) after 5 h, glucose was almost consumed and 1 g/100 g of ethanol produced, +200% respective to UMB478. Using S. cerevisiae for comparison purposes, the dough doubled its volume fast, in only 2 h, but reached a final level of 575 mL, lower than that achieved by Z. mobilis. The analysis of bacterial and fungal population dynamics during dough leavening was performed through the Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA); doughs leavened by UMB479 showed an interesting decrease in fungal richness after leavening. S. cerevisiae, instead, created a more complex fungal community, similar before and after leavening. Results will pave the way for the use of Z. mobilis UMB479 in commercial yeast-free leavened products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnological Potential of Microorganisms in Food Industry)
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