Abstract
Background: One of the main objectives of the food industry is the shelf life extension of food products, taking into account the safety requirements and the preference of consumers attracted by a simple and clear label. Following this direction, many researchers look to find out antimicrobials from natural sources. Methods: Tomato, carrot, and melon by-products were used as substrates for lactic acid fermentation using seven strains belonging to the Lactobacillus genus, L. plantarum, L. casei, L. paracasei, and L. rhamnosus. The obtained fermented by-products were then extracted and the antimicrobial activity toward fourteen pathogenic strains of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, and Bacillus cereus was tested through agar well diffusion assay. Results: All the extracts obtained after fermentation had highlighted antimicrobial activity against each pathogen tested. In particular, a more effective activity was observed against Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and B. cereus, while a lower activity was observed against E. coli. Conclusion: Lactic acid fermentation of vegetable by-products can be a good strategy to obtain antimicrobials useful in food biopreservation.
Highlights
The increasing occurrence of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by pathogenic microorganisms still represents a threat for consumers [1] and, at the same time, manufacturers are called to manage safety issues in an innovative way
Carrot, and melon by-products were fermented with seven different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains: L. plantarum (285, POM1), L. casei (2240, 2246), L. paracasei (4186), and L. rhamnosus (1019, 1473)
The microbial growth was evaluated after 72 h of incubation at the optimal temperature for each species (30 ◦C for L. plantarum and 37 ◦C for L. casei, L. paracasei, and L. rhamnosus)
Summary
The increasing occurrence of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by pathogenic microorganisms still represents a threat for consumers [1] and, at the same time, manufacturers are called to manage safety issues in an innovative way. In order to ensure food safety while trying to match consumer expectations [2], the research of natural preservatives as an alternative to chemicals represents an interesting avenue [4,5,6] In this context essential oils, enzymes, peptides, organic acids, chitosan, bacteriocins, and bacteriophages have been considered [7,8]. One of the main objectives of the food industry is the shelf life extension of food products, taking into account the safety requirements and the preference of consumers attracted by a simple and clear label Following this direction, many researchers look to find out antimicrobials from natural sources. The obtained fermented by-products were extracted and the antimicrobial activity toward fourteen pathogenic strains of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, and Bacillus cereus was tested through agar well diffusion assay. Conclusion: Lactic acid fermentation of vegetable by-products can be a good strategy to obtain antimicrobials useful in food biopreservation
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