scholarly journals A Combined Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics Approach to Unravel Costa Rican Cocoa Box Fermentation Processes Reveals Yet Unreported Microbial Species and Functionalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Verce ◽  
Jorn Schoonejans ◽  
Carlos Hernandez Aguirre ◽  
Ramón Molina-Bravo ◽  
Luc De Vuyst ◽  
...  

Cocoa fermentation is the first step in the post-harvest processing chain of cocoa and is important for the removal of the cocoa pulp surrounding the beans and the development of flavor and color precursors. In the present study, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing were applied to Costa Rican cocoa fermentation processes to unravel the microbial diversity and assess the function and transcription of their genes, thereby increasing the knowledge of this spontaneous fermentation process. Among 97 genera found in these fermentation processes, the major ones were Acetobacter, Komagataeibacter, Limosilactobacillus, Liquorilactobacillus, Lactiplantibacillus, Leuconostoc, Paucilactobacillus, Hanseniaspora, and Saccharomyces. The most prominent species were Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Liquorilactobacillus cacaonum, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum among the LAB, Acetobacter pasteurianus and Acetobacter ghanensis among the AAB, and Hanseniaspora opuntiae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae among the yeasts. Consumption of glucose, fructose, and citric acid, and the production of ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and mannitol were linked to the major species through metagenomic binning and the application of metatranscriptomic sequencing. By using this approach, it was also found that Lacp. plantarum consumed mannitol and oxidized lactic acid, that A. pasteurianus degraded oxalate, and that species such as Cellvibrio sp., Pectobacterium spp., and Paucilactobacillus vaccinostercus could contribute to pectin degradation. The data generated and results presented in this study could enhance the ability to select and develop appropriate starter cultures to steer the cocoa fermentation process toward a desired course.

2019 ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Nataliya E. Posokina ◽  
Anna I. Zakharova

Relevance Fermentation of vegetables is usually carried out in the traditional way (spontaneous fermentation using native microflora), but the quality of the finished product is difficult to predict. Very often, due to the low initial amount of lactic acid bacteria or their low activity, the result of the process remains unpredictable, which can lead to the loss of a significant amount of product. In the fermentation of vegetables involved several types of facultatively anaerobic lactic acid bacteria. In order to control the fermentation process and make it directed, it is necessary to study which lactic acid bacteria are involved in the fermentation process, the period in which their growth and death, and how it affects the organoleptic properties of the finished product, as well as to study the activity of lactic acid microorganisms in the fermentation process. When fermentation of vegetables are not only the original nutrients such as vitamin C, amino acids, dietary fibers, etc., but also develop functional microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. Fermentation has an important effect on the quality and taste, so it is very important to study the fermentation process, microbial diversity and changes in nutrients and chemical elements in the fermentation process. Reducing the rate or preventing microbial spoilage of food is based on four main principles: minimization of product contamination by microorganisms; suppression of growth and reproduction of microorganisms-contaminants; destruction of microorganisms-contaminants; removal of microorganisms-contaminants. Fermentation is based on a combination of the first three principles and is achieved by creating conditions for the growth of specific microorganisms that can give food the desired taste, aroma, texture and appearance. Results This review is devoted to the scientific aspects of vegetable fermentation, including crops that contribute to the creation of optimal conditions for the development of the main pool of lactic acid microorganisms, the production of finished products of high quality and the prevention of microbial spoilage. It is shown that at the first stage of fermentation lactobacilli of the genus L. mesenteroides play a determining role. It is their "work" to create optimal conditions for the development of the target lactic microflora depends on the quality of the finished product. This fact should be taken into account when creating industrial bacterial starter cultures – "starter cultures" for the directed process of fermentation of vegetables.


Author(s):  
E. S. Shishlova ◽  
N. E. Posokina ◽  
O. Yu. Lyalina

In this review, the fermentation process (lactic acid fermentation) of white cabbage is completely coveraged. Fermentation is a very complex dynamic process with numerous physical, chemical and microbiological changes affecting quality of the final product. The sequence of lactic acid bacteria development in the fermentation process, which is characterized by the growth and change of pools of various microorganisms, is described. In place of lactic acid microorganisms Leuconostoc mesenteroides comes Lactobacillus brevis, and then propagated Lactobacillus plantarum. The main factors to be taken into account in the fermentation and storage of sauerkraut are given. In order to start the spontaneous fermentation process, it is necessary that the lactic acid bacteria present on the surface of fresh raw materials prevail over the pathogenic microflora. At the same time, the use of starter cultures is a good alternative to natural fermentation, as this ensures the proper flow of the process and the finished product of good quality. The methods of heat treatment, such as pasteurization and sterilization, allowing to extend the shelf life of the finished fermented product. Various types of packaging that are best used for fermented products are also described: plastic bags, glass and metal cans. It is specified what hygienic norms should be observed at production of sauerkraut. It is shown that fermented (fermented) cabbage has probiotic properties that have a beneficial effect on the human body. It is noted that the use of lactic acid microorganisms (starter cultures) in the fermentation process of white cabbage favorably affects the whole process, as it suppresses the development of pathogenic and other undesirable microorganisms on the surface of fresh raw materials and allows to produce a product with improved functional properties.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (18) ◽  
pp. 5670-5681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Adler ◽  
Christoph Josef Bolten ◽  
Katrin Dohnt ◽  
Carl Erik Hansen ◽  
Christoph Wittmann

ABSTRACTIn the present work, simulated cocoa fermentation was investigated at the level of metabolic pathway fluxes (fluxome) of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are typically found in the microbial consortium known to convert nutrients from the cocoa pulp into organic acids. A comprehensive13C labeling approach allowed to quantify carbon fluxes during simulated cocoa fermentation by (i) parallel13C studies with [13C6]glucose, [1,2-13C2]glucose, and [13C6]fructose, respectively, (ii) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of secreted acetate and lactate, (iii) stoichiometric profiling, and (iv) isotopomer modeling for flux calculation. The study of several strains ofL. fermentumandL. plantarumrevealed major differences in their fluxes. TheL. fermentumstrains channeled only a small amount (4 to 6%) of fructose into central metabolism, i.e., the phosphoketolase pathway, whereas onlyL. fermentumNCC 575 used fructose to form mannitol. In contrast,L. plantarumstrains exhibited a high glycolytic flux. All strains differed in acetate flux, which originated from fractions of citrate (25 to 80%) and corresponding amounts of glucose and fructose. Subsequent, metafluxome studies with consortia of differentL. fermentumandL. plantarumstrains indicated a dominant (96%) contribution ofL. fermentumNCC 575 to the overall flux in the microbial community, a scenario that was not observed for the other strains. This highlights the idea that individual LAB strains vary in their metabolic contribution to the overall fermentation process and opens up new routes toward streamlined starter cultures.L. fermentumNCC 575 might be one candidate due to its superior performance in flux activity.


2020 ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
S. Aforijiku ◽  
S. M. Wakil ◽  
A. A. Onilude

Aim: This work was carried out to investigate the influence of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) on organoleptic quality and proximate composition of yoghurt, and viability of starter cultures in yoghurt. Methods: The LAB starter cultures were selected based on their ability to produce diacetyl and lactic acid. Results: Lactobacillus caseiN1 produced the highest quantity (2.72 g/L) of diacetyl at 48 hrs of incubation while Pediococcus acidilacticiG1 had the lowest amount (0.50 g/L). The pH of produced yoghurt ranged between 4.40 and 5.58 while the corresponding lactic acid contents ranged between 0.70 and 0.96 g/L. Yoghurt produced with cow milk inoculated with L. PlantarumN24 and L. BrevisN10 had the lowest pH (4.40) at significant level of P≤0.05. Yoghurt with mixed culture of L. PlantarumN24 and L. PlantarumN17 had the highest protein content (5.13%) while spontaneous fermentation (control) produced the least (0.48%). Yoghurt produced from cow milk inoculated with L. PlantarumN24 and L. PlantarumN17 was rated best with overall acceptability (9.0) during first day of storage while the commercial yoghurt (5.8) and spontaneous fermentation (6.8) had least overall acceptability at P≤0.05. Conclusion: Yoghurt samples stored in refrigerator had more viable LAB counts for a period of 21 days while the samples stored at room temperature had a day count except for yoghurt produced with cow milk inoculated with L. plantarumN24 which retained its viability at the second day. The yoghurt produced with selected LAB starters are better than commercial yoghurt in terms of sensory properties, proximate composition, pH and viability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-762
Author(s):  
Vladimir Kondratenko ◽  
Natalia Posokina ◽  
Ol’ga Lyalina ◽  
Anastasiay Kolokolova ◽  
Sergey Glazkov

Introduction. Fermentative processing of plant raw materials is traditionally carried out using native (epiphytic) microflora, which is located on the surface and represented by lactic acid microorganisms. During this process, the carbohydrates in the raw material are metabolized into lactic acid. This process does not always result in optimal product quality as the raw material often lacks carbohydrates, the optimal conditions for the development of the target microflora are hard to achieve, the microflora might be inhibited by contaminants, etc. Lactic acid microbial consortia can act as a good alternative to spontaneous fermentation of cabbage as this method creates good conditions for the microbial synergistic interaction. Such fermentation process can be controlled by adjusting the carbohydrate composition of the substrate. The research objective was to develop an analytical approach to determine the minimum required degree of change in the native carbohydrate composition of substrate that would ensure the synergy of lactic acid microorganisms. Study objects and methods. The fermentation process was performed using white cabbage of Slava variety and such strains of lactic acid microorganisms as Lactobacillus casei VCM 536, Lactobacillus plantarum VCM B-578, and Lactobacillus brevis VCM B-1309, as well as their paired consortia. The raw material was subjected to grinding, and the epiphytic microflora was removed to create optimal conditions for the development of the lactic acid microflora. Results and discussion. The study made it possible to define the dynamics of carbohydrate fermentation in white cabbage by various strains of lactic bacteria and their paired consortia during processing. Mathematical models helped to describe the dynamics of glucose and fructose fermentation. The experiment also demonstrated the changes that occurred in the interaction within the paired consortia during fermentation. The paper introduces a new approach to determining the minimum required degree of change in the native carbohydrate composition required to ensure synergy of lactic acid microorganisms in paired consortia. Conclusion. The research defined the necessary amounts of carbohydrate needed to shift the integral factor of mutual influence towards sustainable synergy for three paired consortia. Consortium L. brevis + L. plantarum + 3.65 g/100 g of fructose proved to be the optimal variant for industrial production of sauerkraut from white cabbage of Slava variety. The developed approach can improve the existing industrial technologies of fermentation and create new ones.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolulope Ashaolu ◽  
Anna Reale

Lactic acid fermentation is one of the oldest methods used worldwide to preserve cereals and vegetables. Europe and Asia have long and huge traditions in the manufacturing of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-fermented foods. They have different cultures, religions and ethnicities with the available resources that strongly influence their food habits. Many differences and similarities exist with respect to raw substrates, products and microbes involved in the manufacture of fermented products. Many of them are produced on industrial scale with starter cultures, while others rely on spontaneous fermentation, produced homemade or in traditional events. In Europe, common LAB-fermented products made from cereals include traditional breads, leavened sweet doughs, and low and non-alcoholic cereal-based beverages, whereas among vegetable ones prevail sauerkraut, cucumber pickles and olives. In Asia, the prevailing LAB-fermented cereals include acid-leavened steamed breads or pancakes from rice and wheat, whereas LAB-fermented vegetables are more multifarious, such as kimchi, sinki, khalpi, dakguadong, jiang-gua, soidon and sauerkraut. Here, an overview of the main Euro-Asiatic LAB-fermented cereals and vegetables was proposed, underlining the relevance of fermentation as a tool for improving cereals and vegetables, and highlighting some differences and similarities among the Euro-Asiatic products. The study culminated in “omics”-based and future-oriented studies of the fermented products.


Author(s):  
NE Posokina ◽  
AI Zakharova

Introduction: Fermentation is a biotechnological process of preserving the biological potential of raw materials and transforming them in order to impart new organoleptic properties and to increase nutritional value of the product allowing diversification of daily meals; thus, in some countries fermented products make up a significant part of the human diet. Despite the fact that fermented products are very useful for humans, the fermentation process itself remained rather complicated for reproduction during a long time. Currently, starter cultures are used in industrial production of fermented food products enabling the production of foodstuffs with a guaranteed range of consumer properties. Such species of lactic acid bacteria as Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Oenococcus, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Tetragenococcus, Vagococcus, and Weissella play the main role in production of fermented food and drinks while L. mesenteroides plays the primary role in starting fermentation of many types of plant materials including cabbage, beet, turnip, cauliflower, green beans, chopped green tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, etc. Objective: To control and manage the industrial fermentation process, it is important to determine the main processes occurring at different stages and the types of lactic acid microorganisms responsible for initiation, continuation and completion of the process. Results: This review shows that, despite the variety of fermentable vegetables, L. mesenteroides species of lactic acid bacteria are of particular importance at the primary heteroenzymatic stage since during this very period the processed raw materials form conditions for inhibiting pathogenic and facultative pathogenic microflora and create optimal environment for subsequent development of targeted microorganisms determining the quality of finished products. Conclusions: When developing food technology, L. mesenteroides species of lactic acid bacteria must be an indispensable component of industrial starter cultures for obtaining final products of consistently high quality.6


2018 ◽  
pp. 86-88
Author(s):  
V. V. Kondratenko ◽  
N. E. Posokina ◽  
O. Yu. Lyalina

The article presents the results of the study of the directed fermentation of cucumbers using strains of lactic acid microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria) in order to intensify the fermentation process and to obtain a finished product of good quality (with good taste, aroma and structure), as on an industrial scale starter cultures are practically not used. The aim of our research was to study the dynamics of glucose degradation in the process of directed fermentation of cucumbers varieties "Vodoley" using lactic acid bacteria and their selection for this process. As strains of lactic acid microorganisms we selected the following: Lactobacillus casei VKM 536, Lactobacillus plantarum VKM V-578, Lactobacillus brevis VKM V-1309. In order to create optimal conditions for the development of the target microflora, to determine the degree of glucose destruction by various strains of microorganisms and to obtain comparative results, all experiments were carried out on model environment. During the research, mathematical models were developed that adequately describe the degree of glucose destruction during the fermentation of cucumbers. Mathematical processing of glucose degradation data in the direct fermentation process was carried out using Microsoft Excel and the SYSTAT TableCurve 2D. It was found that the criterion for the intensity of glucose destruction during the fermentation of cucumbers varieties "Vodoley" is the most adequate use of the investigated strains of lactic acid bacteria L. brevis and L. plantarum. The use of these lactic acid bacteria provides maximum process efficiency (the maximum acceptable duration is 4,47 and 5,36 days when the degree of glucose destruction is more than 99% of the asymptotic value). The use of L. brevis and L. plantarum allows to achieve the maximum degree of glucose destruction, which indicates the potential usefulness of these types of lactic acid bacteria.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 948
Author(s):  
M. Francisca Portilha-Cunha ◽  
Angela C. Macedo ◽  
F. Xavier Malcata

Spontaneous fermentation constitutes the basis of the chief natural method of processing of table olives, where autochthonous strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a dominant role. A thorough literature search has unfolded 197 reports worldwide, published in the last two decades, that indicate an increasing interest in table olive-borne LAB, especially in Mediterranean countries. This review attempted to extract extra information from such a large body of work, namely, in terms of correlations between LAB strains isolated, manufacture processes, olive types, and geographical regions. Spain produces mostly green olives by Spanish-style treatment, whereas Italy and Greece produce mainly green and black olives, respectively, by both natural and Spanish-style. More than 40 species belonging to nine genera of LAB have been described; the genus most often cited is Lactobacillus, with L. plantarum and L. pentosus as most frequent species—irrespective of country, processing method, or olive type. Certain LAB species are typically associated with cultivar, e.g., Lactobacillus parafarraginis with Spanish Manzanilla, or L. paraplantarum with Greek Kalamata and Conservolea, Portuguese Galega, and Italian Tonda di Cagliari. Despite the potential of native LAB to serve as starter cultures, extensive research and development efforts are still needed before this becomes a commercial reality in table olive fermentation.


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