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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Current and New Insights on Molecular Methods to Identify Microbial Growth in Fruit Juices

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International audience; Identification of microorganisms in fruit juices plays an important role as it determines the viability of this food product from a commercial point of view. Several microorganisms use fruit as a substrate, thus causing spoilage and generating off‐flavors and odors. In addition, under favorable conditions, toxigenic fungi can produce mycotoxins in fruit juices. Conventional detection and enumeration of microorganisms using traditional plating assays are accurate and can detect low microbial contamination levels. However, in most cases they require long detection times. In recent years, the food industry has shown increased interest in developing new methods with increased specificity, discriminatory power, and shorter detection times for the identification of spoilage microorganisms in fruit juices. Among these techniques, PCR‐based detection systems are the most commonly used for microorganism detection. The main molecular techniques used to identify microbial growth in fruit juices are highlighted in the present chapter.