0000000000117205
AUTHOR
Danilo Ercolini
PCR-DGGE fingerprints of microbial succession during a manufacture of traditional water buffalo mozzarella cheese.
D . E R C O L I N I , G . M A U R I E L L O , G . B L A I O T T A , G . M O S C H E T T I A N D S . C O P P O L A . 2003. Aims: To monitor the process and the starter effectiveness recording a series of fingerprints of the microbial diversity occurring at different steps of mozzarella cheese manufacture and to investigate the involvement of the natural starter to the achievement of the final product. Methods and Results: Samples of raw milk, natural whey culture (NWC) used as starter, curd after ripening and final product were collected during a mozzarella cheese manufacture. Total microbial DNA was directly extracted from the dairy samples as well as bulk colonies collected from the plates…
Evaluation of microbial diversity during the manufacture of Fior di Latte di Agerola, a traditional raw milk pasta-filata cheese of the Naples area
Microbial diversity of the raw milk for the production of Fior di Latte di Agerola and its changes during cheesemaking were studied. Viable counts showed that at the end of curd ripening, loads of lactic acid bacteria, both mesophilic and thermophilic rods and cocci, higher than those commonly evidenced in similar cheeses produced by using natural or commercial starters, were detected. Identification of 272 isolates, supported by molecular diagnostic aids, evidenced representative cultures of a high number of bacterial taxa of interest as participating in the process, although most of the isolates belonged to Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus helveticus species. RAPD-PCR and REA-PFGE bio…
Presence and characterisation of verotoxin producing E. coli in fresh Italian pork sausages, and preparation and use of an antibiotic-resistant strain for challenge studies
One hundred and twenty six samples of fresh pork sausages were analysed-for the presence of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC). Selective enrichment followed by DNA extraction and PCR amplification of the stx1 and stx2 genes highlighted the occurrence of the above mentioned genes in 20 out of 126 samples screened. From the stx positive enriched cultures, isolation was performed on CT-SMAC agar plates after immuno-magnetic separation of E. coli O157. Fifty three non-sorbitol fermenting isolates were obtained and further characterised, along with the reference strain E. coli ATCC 35150(T). All the isolates were characterised by PCR assays, assessing the presence of stx1, stx2, rfbE(O15…
Midgut microbiota and host immunocompetence underlie Bacillus thuringiensis killing mechanism
Bacillus thuringiensis is a widely used bacterial entomopathogen producing insecticidal toxins, some of which are expressed in insect-resistant transgenic crops. Surprisingly, the killing mechanism of B. thuringiensis remains controversial. In particular, the importance of the septicemia induced by the host midgut microbiota is still debated as a result of the lack of experimental evidence obtained without drastic manipulation of the midgut and its content. Here this key issue is addressed by RNAi-mediated silencing of an immune gene in a lepidopteran host Spodoptera littoralis, leaving the midgut microbiota unaltered. The resulting cellular immunosuppression was characterized by a reduced …
Animal rennets as sources of dairy lactic acid bacteria
ABSTRACT The microbial composition of artisan and industrial animal rennet pastes was studied by using both culture-dependent and -independent approaches. Pyrosequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene allowed to identify 361 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) to the genus/species level. Among lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Streptococcus thermophilus and some lactobacilli, mainly Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus reuteri , were the most abundant species, with differences among the samples. Twelve groups of microorganisms were targeted by viable plate counts revealing a dominance of mesophilic cocci. All rennets were able to acidify ultrahigh-temperature-processed (UHT) milk as shown by pH …
Presence of endophytic bacteria in Vitis vinifera leaves as detected by Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was applied to detect and localize bacterial colonies in leaf tissues of Vitis vinifera. Leaves were cleared to minimize the autofluorescence of plant fragments. The use of fluorescently labeled bacterial probe EUB338 on discolored grapevine leaf disks allowed the estimation of the spatial distribution of different bacterial colonies. In particular, bacterial colonies were found in veins, cells, hairs, intercellular spaces, and in cut edges of leaf disks of both non-Acremonium byssoides-colonized and A. byssoides-colonized leaves of five different cultivars. Furthermore, CLSM confirmed th…
Technological and molecular diversity of Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from naturally fermented sourdoughs.
Thirty Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum strains, isolated from sourdough, were identified by biochemical tests as well as 16S rDNA sequencing and differentiated on the basis of technological properties, such as amylase, protease, phytase and antirope activities. These properties were shown to be widely differing among the strains, indicating a significant technological diversity. Genetic differentiation was achieved by restriction endonuclease analysis-pulsed field gel electrophoresis (REA-PFGE) that allowed the L. plantarum strains to be divided into 10 different genomic groups. Moreover, 32 different starters were employed in dough making experiments; each starter consisted of a single strain…