Potential application of lactic acid bacteria in the biopreservation of red grape from mycotoxigenic fungi

Recent Advancements in Harnessing Lactic Acid Bacterial Metabolites for Fruits and Vegetables Preservation

Postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables exert substantial economic and environmental repercussions. Chemical interventions are being widely utilized for the past six decades which may lead to significant health complications. Bioprotection of fruits and vegetables is the need of the hour in which use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with GRAS status predominantly stands out. Incorporation of LAB in postharvest fruits and vegetables suppresses the growth of spoilage organisms by synthesizing various antimicrobial compounds such as bacteriocins, organic acids, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), exopolysaccharides (EPS), and BLIS. For example, Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Limosilactobacillus fermentum convert natural sugars in fruits and vegetables to lactic acid and create an acidic environment that do not favour spoilage organisms. LAB can improve the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals and enrich the phenolic profile and bioactivity components. LAB has remarkable physiological characteristics like resistance towards bacteriophage, proteolytic activity, and polysaccharide production which adds to the safety of foods. They modify the sensory properties and preserve the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables. They can also perform therapeutic role in the intestinal tract as they tolerate low pH, high salt concentration. Thus application of LAB, whether independently or in conjunction with stabilizing agents as edible coatings, is regarded as an exceptionally promising methodology for ensuring safer consumption of fruits and vegetables. This review addresses the most recent research findings that harness the antagonistic property of lactic acid bacterial metabolites, formulations and coatings containing their bioactive compounds for extended shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

Preparation of Sourdoughs Fermented with Isolated Lactic Acid Bacteria and Characterization of Their Antifungal Properties

Traditional sourdough is obtained using a mixture of flour and water stored at room temperature until acidification. Therefore, adding lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can improve the quality and safety of sourdough bread. Faced with this problem, four drying techniques-freeze-drying, spray-drying, low-temperature drying, and drying at low humidity-have been applied. Our goals were to isolate LAB strains with antifungal potential against Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi. The antifungal capacity was evaluated with agar diffusion, co-culture in overlay agar, and a microdilution susceptibility assay. In addition, the antifungal compounds generated in sourdough were analyzed. As a result, dried sourdoughs were prepared with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TN10, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TF2, Pediococcus pentosaceus TF8, Pediococcus acidilactici TE4, and Pediococcus pentosaceus TI6. The minimum fungicidal concentrations ranged from 25 g/L versus P. verrucosum and 100 g/L against A. flavus. A total of 27 volatile organic compounds were produced. Moreover, the lactic acid content reached 26 g/kg of dry product, and the phenyllactic concentration was significantly higher than the control. The P. pentosaceus TI6 exhibited a higher antifungal capacity in vitro and demonstrated a higher production of antifungal compounds compared to the other strains; therefore, further studies will evaluate the impact of this sourdough in bread manufacture.

Brazilian Table Olives: A Source of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antimycotoxigenic and Antifungal Activity

Food and feed contamination by fungi, especially by toxigenic ones, is a global concern because it can pose serious health problems when the production of mycotoxins is involved. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), well-known for fermenting foods, have been gaining attention for their antifungal and anti-mycotoxin properties. This work tested 14 LAB strains isolated from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives for growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Penicillium nordicum, and Penicillium expansum. The strains Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CCMA 1764, Levilactobacillus brevis CCMA 1762, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CCMA 1768 showed the strongest antifungal activity, being more active against P. expansum. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and patulin (PAT) production was reduced essentially by mycelia growth inhibition. The main organic acids detected in the cell free supernatant (CFS) were lactic and acetic acids. Tested LAB exhibited adsorption capacity against AFB1 (48-51%), OTA (28-33%), and PAT (23-24%). AFB1 was converted into aflatoxin B2a (AFB2a) by lactic and acetic acids produced by the strain CCMA 1764. A similar conversion was observed in solutions of these organic acids (0.1 M). These findings demonstrate the potential of isolated LAB strains as natural agents to control toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in fermented products, such as table olives.

Characterization of antifungal cyclic dipeptides of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei ZX1231 and active packaging film prepared with its cell-free supernatant and bacterial nanocellulose

Fungal infection and/or spoilage are major concerns of crop and food security worldwide, prompting the developments and application of various antimicrobial agents. In this study, nine strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antifungal activities were isolated from the traditional Chinese fermented wort of Meigui rice vinegar, where fungi coexist. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei ZX1231 exhibited significant inhibitory activities against Aspergillus niger, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium polonicum, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Talaromyces rubrifaciens, and Candida albicans. Among the four cyclic dipeptides (CDPs) uncovered from the CFS, cyclo(Phe-Leu) and cyclo(Anthranily-Pro) were found in the family Lactobacillaceae for the first time, which inhibited the C. albicans filamentation by targeting upon RAS1-cAMP-PKA pathway. CFS antifungal activities were optimally combined with a bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) matrix to prepare the active quality packaging CFS-BNC films. The challenge tests confirmed that CFS-BNC films significantly inhibited the fungi growth and thus prolonged the shelf life of bread, beef, cheese and soy sauce. L. paracasei ZX1231, its CFS, and the CFS-BNC film may have extensive applications in food preservation and food packaging.

Screening of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains from Sourdoughs for Biosuppression of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Botrytis cinerea in Table Grapes

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are an essential crop for fresh consumption and wine production. Vineyards are attacked by several economically important bacterial and fungal diseases that require regular pesticide treatment. Among them, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Ps. syringae) and Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) infections cause huge economic losses. The fresh fruit market has shifted to functional natural foodstuffs with clear health benefits and a reduced use of chemicals along the production chain. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have a biopreservative effect and are applied to ensure food safety in response to consumers' demands. In the present study, the possibilities of using microorganisms with a potential antimicrobial effect against Ps. syringae and B. cinerea in the production of table grapes were investigated. LAB of the genus Lactiplantibacillus can be a natural antagonist of pathogenic bacteria and fungi by releasing lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, carbon dioxide and bacteriocins in the medium. The present study focuses on the characterization of nine Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lp. plantarum) strains isolated from spontaneously fermented sourdoughs. Species-specific PCR identified the isolated LAB for partial recA gene amplification with an amplicon size of 318 bp. RAPD-PCR analysis showed the intraspecific diversity of the individual strains. Thirteen plantaricin-like peptides (PlnA, PlnB, PlnC, PlnD, PlnEF, PlnG, PlnI, PlnJ, PlnK, PlnN, PlnNC8, PlnS, and PlnW) produced by isolated Lp. plantarum strains were detected by PCR with gene-specific primers. The key features for future industrial applications were their antimicrobial properties. The culture medium and cell-free supernatant (CFS) were used to establish in vitro antimicrobial activities of Lp. plantarum strains against Ps. syringae and B. cinerea, and inhibition of phytopathogen development was observed. The inhibitory effect of the CFS (cell-free supernatant) of all strains was assessed by infecting table grapes with these pathogens in in vivo experiments. Lp. plantarum Q4 showed the most effective suppression of the pathogens both in vitro and in vivo, which indicates its potential use as a biocontrol agent against berry rot and grey rot on grapes, caused by Ps. syringae and B. cinerea.

In Vitro Assessment of Probiotic and Technological Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Indigenously Fermented Cereal-Based Food Products

The present study concerns the isolation and characterization of potential probiotic bacteria isolated from indigenously fermented cereal-based products commonly produced by tribal people of the Aravali hills region of India and the documentation of their unexplored probiotic attributes. The isolated strains were evaluated for probiotic attributes, such as bile salt and acid tolerance, lysozyme and phenol tolerance, antagonistic and antifungal activity, cell autoaggregation, cell-surface hydrophobicity, simulated gastric and pancreatic digestion, antioxidative potential, bile salt hydrolase activity, and H2O2 production. The safety of isolates was assessed by antibiotic sensitivity, hemolytic activity, DNase activity, and biogenic amine production assays, while technological properties, such as fermenting ability, amylolytic activity, and EPS production, were also evaluated. A total of 70 LAB isolates were screened initially, and 6 strains showed good potential as probiotic candidates in in vitro assessments. The efficient strains were identified using phenotyping and biochemical characterization, which results were further confirmed and recognized at the strain level using phylogenetic analysis and 16S rDNA sequencing. The current study has shown that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KMUDR7 isolated from “Makka ki Raab” has excellent probiotic attributes and could be a potential probiotic for product preparation. However, other strains, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KMUDR1 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus KMUDR9, showed good properties, while KMUDR14, -17, and -20 also have comparable probiotic attributes.

Correlation between metabolites of lactic acid bacteria isolated from dairy traditional fermented Tunisian products and antifungal and antioxidant activities

AIMS

The objective of this study is to identify and investigate the antifungal and antioxidant potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditional fermented products.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this work, a collection of LAB was isolated from traditional fermented products collected in four Tunisian regions. After first screening using the overlay method, seven bacterial strains were retained due to their high antifungal effect. Four strains of Limosilactobacillus fermentum were identified, one strain of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, one strain of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and one strain of Enterococcus faecium. The antifungal as well as the antioxidant potential of these bacteria were then evaluated. Bacterial strains were effective against six fungal strains with a minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25 to 100 mg/mL and a minimum fungicidal concentrations ranging from 50 to 200 mg/mL. Cell free supernatants of LAB were analyzed by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS-qTOF-MS analysis. Results showed significant production of organic acids as well as several phenolic compounds. Correlation analysis confirmed that PLA and 1,2-Dihydroxybenzene were positively correlated with antifungal potential. The results of the antioxidant activity highlighted an ABTS radical cation scavenging activity ranging from 49% to 57% and a DPPH trapping percentage ranging from 80% to 97%.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, due to these characteristics, identified lactic acid bacteria strains have shown their effectiveness to perform as antifungal and antioxidant agents.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Since microbial contamination is at the root of extensive losses in the food sector, the identified strains or their metabolites can potentially be used as additives to limit microorganism spoilage in food products and increase their shelf life.

Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) in Sustainable Agriculture: Advantages and Limitations

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are significant groups of probiotic organisms in fermented food and are generally considered safe. LAB regulate soil organic matter and the biochemical cycle, detoxify hazardous chemicals, and enhance plant health. They are found in decomposing plants, traditional fermented milk products, and normal human gastrointestinal and vaginal flora. Exploring LAB identified in unknown niches may lead to isolating unique species. However, their classification is quite complex, and they are adapted to high sugar concentrations and acidic environments. LAB strains are considered promising candidates for sustainable agriculture, and they promote soil health and fertility. Therefore, they have received much attention regarding sustainable agriculture. LAB metabolites promote plant growth and stimulate shoot and root growth. As fertilizers, LAB can promote biodegradation, accelerate the soil organic content, and produce organic acid and bacteriocin metabolites. However, LAB show an antagonistic effect against phytopathogens, inhibiting fungal and bacterial populations in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere. Several studies have proposed the LAB bioremediation efficiency and detoxification of heavy metals and mycotoxins. However, LAB genetic manipulation and metabolic engineered tools provide efficient cell factories tailor-made to produce beneficial industrial and agro-products. This review discusses lactic acid bacteria advantages and limitations in sustainable agricultural development.

Cyclo(L-Leucyl-L-Prolyl) from Lactobacillus coryniformis BCH-4 inhibits the proliferation of Aspergillus flavus: an in vitro to in silico approach

Fungal spoilage led to a considerable economic loss of foodstuff which ultimately affects public health due to mycotoxins production. Moreover, the consumption of commercial antifungal drugs creates side effects and develops antifungal resistance. To overcome these challenges, the current work was aimed to investigate novel antifungal cyclic dipeptide (CDP) from Lactobacillus coryniformis (Loigolactobacillus coryniformis) BCH-4. CDPs have flexible, cyclic, and stable conformation. The proline-based CDPs provide additional structural compatibility and bio-functional values. Keeping in view, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to explore cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) from L. coryniformis BCH-4. The HPLC detected concentration (135 ± 7.07 mg/mL) exhibited in vitro antifungal activity of 5.66 ± 0.57 mm (inhibitory zone) against Aspergillus flavus. Based on these results, cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) was used as a bioprotectant for selected food samples (grapes, lemon, cashew nuts, and almonds). A significant impact of cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) was observed in contrast with MRS broth (control) and cell-free supernatant. In silico molecular docking analysis of this CDP was carried out against FAD glucose dehydrogenase, dihydrofolate reductase, and urate oxidase of A. flavus as target proteins. Among these proteins, FAD glucose dehydrogenase exerted strong interactions with cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) having S-score of  - 8.21. The results evaluated that the detected CDP has strong interactions with selected proteins, causing excellent growth inhibition of A. flavus. Therefore, cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) could be used as a potent bioprotectant against food-borne pathogenic fungi.