The influence of different preservation methods on spoilage bacteria populations inoculated in morcilla de Burgos during anaerobic cold storage

A mathematical modeling approach to the quantification of lactic acid bacteria in vacuum-packaged samples of cooked meat: Combining the TaqMan-based quantitative PCR method with the plate-count method

The TaqMan-based quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) method and the Plate Count (PC) method are both used in combination with primary and secondary mathematical modeling, to describe the growth curves of Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Weissella viridescens in vacuum-packaged meat products during storage under different isothermal conditions. Vacuum-Packaged Morcilla (VPM), a typical cooked blood sausage, is used as a representative meat product, with the aim of improving shelf-life prediction methods for those sorts of meat products. The standard curves constructed by qPCR showed good linearity between the cycle threshold (C_T) and log₁₀ CFU/g, demonstrating the high precision and the reproducible results of the qPCR method. The curves were used for the quantification of L. mesenteroides and W. viridescens in artificially inoculated VPM samples under isothermal storage (5, 8, 13 and 18 °C). Primally, both the qPCR and the PC methods were compared, and a linear regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant linear correlation between the methods. Secondly, the Baranyi and Roberts model was fitted to the growth curve data to estimate the kinetic parameters of L. mesenteroides and W. viridescens under isothermal conditions, and secondary models were used to establish the dependence of the maximum specific growth rate on the temperature. The results proved that primary and secondary models were adequate for describing the growth curves of both methods in relation to both bacteria. In conclusion, the results of all the experiments proved that the qPCR method in combination with the PC method can be used to construct microbial growth kinetics and that primary and secondary mathematical modeling can be successfully applied to describe the growth of L. mesenteroides and W. viridescens in vacuum-packaged morcilla and, by extension, other cooked meat products with similar characteristics.

Treatment With High-Hydrostatic Pressure, Activated Film Packaging With Thymol Plus Enterocin AS-48, and Its Combination Modify the Bacterial Communities of Refrigerated Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) Fillets

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of activated plastic films with thymol and enterocin AS-48 and high-hydrostatic pressure (HP) treatment on the bacterial load and bacterial diversity of vacuum-packaged sea bream fillets under refrigerated storage for 10 days. The activated film and the HP treatment reduced aerobic mesophiles viable counts by 1.46 and 2.36 log cycles, respectively, while the combined treatment achieved a reduction of 4.13 log cycles. HP and combined treatments resulted in longer delays in bacterial growth. Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla in sea bream fillets. The relative abundance of Firmicutes increased by the end of storage both in controls and in samples treated by HP singly or in combination with the activated films. The predominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found at time 0 in control samples (Listeria, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, Chryseobacterium) rapidly changed during storage (with an increase of Vibrio, Photobacterium, and Shewanella together with Cloacibacterium and Lactobacillales by the end of storage). The activated film and the HP treatment induced drastic changes in bacterial diversity right after treatments (with Comamonadaceae, Methylobacterium, Acidovorax, and Sphingomonas as main OTUs) and also induced further modifications during storage. Bacterial diversity in activated film samples was quite homogeneous during storage (with Vibrio, Photobacterium, and Shewanella as main OTUs) and approached control samples. HP treatments (singly or in combination with activated films) determined a high relative abundance of Acinetobacter (followed by Pseudomonas and Shewanella) during early storage as well as a higher relative abundance of lactic acid bacteria by the end of storage. The results indicate that the complex dynamics of bacterial populations in the refrigerated sea bream fillets are markedly influenced by treatment and antimicrobials applied.

A novel real-time PCR assay for the specific identification and quantification of Weissella viridescens in blood sausages

Weissella viridescens has been identified as one of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) responsible for the spoilage of "morcilla de Burgos". In order to identify and quantify this bacterium in "morcilla de Burgos", a new specific PCR procedure has been developed. The primers and Taqman probe were designed on the basis of a sequence from the gene recN. To confirm the specificity of the primers, 77 strains from the genera Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Vagococcus and Weissella were tested by conventional PCR. The specificity of the primers and the correct functioning of the probe was confirmed by performing real-time PCR (qPCR) with 21 W. viridescens strains and 27 strains from other LAB genera. The levels of detection and quantification for the qPCR procedure proposed herein were determined for a pure culture of W. viridescens CECT 283(T) and for "morcilla de Burgos" artificially inoculated with this species. The primers were specific for W. viridescens, with only one product of 91 bp being observed for this species. Similarly, the qPCR reactions were found to be specific, amplifying at a mean CT of 15.0±0.4 only for W. viridescens strains. The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for this procedure was established in 0.082 pg for genomic DNA from W. viridescens. With regard to the artificially inoculated "morcilla", the limit of quantification was established in 80 CFU/reaction and the limit of detection in 8 CFU/reaction. Consequently, the qPCR developed herein can be considered to be a good, fast, simple and accurate tool for the specific detection and quantification of W. viridescens in meat samples.

Study of the effect of post-packaging pasteurization and argon modified atmosphere packaging on the sensory quality and growth of endogenous microflora of a sliced cooked meat product

The objective of this work was to study the effect of post-packaging pasteurization on the sensory quality and growth of natural microorganisms during refrigerated storage (6 °C) of a cooked meat product considering two packaging atmospheres based on mixture of typical gases (CO(2)/N(2) (22/78%) and novel gases (CO(2)/Ar (17/83%)). Growth of lactic acid bacteria was significantly different between samples with and without post-packaging pasteurization, showing a growth rate >0.44 and equal to 0.28 log cfu/day, respectively. For samples with post-packaging pasteurization, atmosphere CO(2)/Ar resulted in a lower growth of lactic acid bacteria and a better sensory quality. Overall, samples without post-packaging pasteurization did not show a significant reduction of sensory quality during storage time (121 days) while samples with post-packaging pasteurization showed deterioration in their sensory quality. Further investigation is needed to obtain more definitive conclusions about the effect of post-packaging pasteurization and argon-based packaging atmospheres on cooked meat products.

Effect of modified atmosphere and vacuum packaging on some quality characteristics and the shelf-life of "morcilla", a typical cooked blood sausage

The effect of modified atmosphere and vacuum packaging on the shelf-life of "morcilla", a traditional cooked blood sausage, was investigated. A total of 99 "morcillas" were packaged under vacuum and in modified atmosphere using three different gas mixtures: 15:35:50/O(2):N(2):CO(2) (atmosphere 1), 60:40/N(2):CO(2) (atmosphere 2) and 40:60/N(2):CO(2) (atmosphere 3), and stored during 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks at 4 °C. Shelf life evaluation was based on pH, water activity (a(w)), colour (CIE L*, a*, b*, C* and h*), TBARS formation and microbial counts. The results indicated that, in general, storage time affected (P<0.05) all parameters whereas no significant differences were observed (P>0.05) among packaging conditions. Based on the microbial counts, the shelf-life of "morcilla" would be greater than 8 weeks for all packaging conditions. Samples packaged with high CO(2) concentrations (40:60/N(2):CO(2)) showed the lowest values of TBARS at the end of storage.