Abstract
Among other fermentation processes, lactic acid fermentation is a valuable process which enhances the safety, nutritional and sensory properties of food. The use of starters is recommended compared to spontaneous fermentation, from a safety point of view but also to ensure a better control of product functional and sensory properties. Starters are used for dairy products, sourdough, wine, meat, sauerkraut and homemade foods and beverages from dairy or vegetal origin. Among lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus and Pediococcus are the majors genera used as starters whereas Weissella is not. Weissella spp. are frequently isolated from spontaneous fermented foods and participate to the characteristics of the fermented product. They possess a large set of functional and technological properties, which can enhance safety, nutritional and sensory characteristics of food. Particularly, Weissella cibaria and Weissella confusa have been described as high producers of exo-polysaccharides, which exhibit texturizing properties. Numerous bacteriocins have been purified from Weissella hellenica strains and may be used as bio-preservative. Some Weissella strains are able to decarboxylate polymeric phenolic compounds resulting in a better bioavailability. Other Weissella strains showed resistance to low pH and bile salts and were isolated from healthy human feces, suggesting their potential as probiotics. Despite all these features, the use of Weissella spp. as commercial starters remained non-investigated. Potential biogenic amine production, antibiotic resistance pattern or infection hazard partly explains this neglecting. Besides, Weissella spp. are not recognized as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). However, Weissella spp. are potential powerful starters for food fermentation as well as Lactococcus, Leuconostoc or Lactobacillus species.
Highlights
Fermentation has been applied for thousand years as a method to preserve perishable foods.It seems that fermentation appeared in the period 8000–6000 BC in Iraq with the fabrication of cheese
This review aims to understand the reasons why Weissella spp. are not used as commercial starters in food fermentation
Despite the fact that numerous Weissella spp. have been isolated from healthy humans and are suggested as probiotics, they are often classified as opportunistic pathogens since they were occasionally associated with infections
Summary
Fermentation has been applied for thousand years as a method to preserve perishable foods. Among the microorganisms available as starter cultures, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most diverse They are used to start wine, bread, vegetables, meat and dairy product fermentation. LAB are extensively involved in spontaneous fermentation and the major genera are Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Oenococcus, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Tetragenococcus, Vagococcus and Weissella [5] They play a central role in the fermentation process. Lactobacillus plantarum, Lb. delbrueckii, Lb. sakei, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides are the species mostly used [6,7,8] They have been used for decades in food fermentation, are recognized as safe and were selected from technological and sensorial assays. Characteristics and the role of Weissella spp. in spontaneous fermentation were investigated, as well as their functional and technological properties, and possible reasons that would explain the poor investigation of Weissella spp. as starters
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