Impact of High-Hydrostatic Pressure Treatments Applied Singly or in Combination with Moderate Heat on the Microbial Load, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Bacterial Diversity of Guacamole

Microbial communities in freshwater used for hydraulic fracturing are unable to withstand the high temperatures and pressures characteristic of fractured shales

Natural gas is recovered from shale formations by hydraulic fracturing, a process known to create microbial ecosystems in the deep subsurface. Microbial communities that emerge in fractured shales include organisms known to degrade fracturing fluid additives and contribute to corrosion of well infrastructure. In order to limit these negative microbial processes, it is essential to constrain the source of the responsible micro-organisms. Previous studies have identified a number of potential sources, including fracturing fluids and drilling muds, yet these sources remain largely untested. Here, we apply high-pressure experimental approaches to assess whether the microbial community in synthetic fracturing fluid made from freshwater reservoir water can withstand the temperature and pressure conditions of hydraulic fracturing and the fractured shale environment. Using cell enumerations, DNA extraction and culturing, we show that the community can withstand high pressure or high temperature alone, but the combination of both is fatal. These results suggest that initial freshwater-based fracturing fluids are an unlikely source of micro-organisms in fractured shales. These findings indicate that potentially problematic lineages, such as sulfidogenic strains of Halanaerobium that have been found to dominate fractured shale microbial communities, likely derive from other input sources into the downwell environment, such as drilling muds.

Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing on the Microbiological Quality and Bacterial Diversity of Sous-Vide-Cooked Cod

High hydrostatic pressure (HP) is a promising method to improve the microbiological quality of sous-vide foods. Monitoring the composition and behavior of the microbial communities in foods is of most importance for the production of high-quality and safe products. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) provides advanced approaches to determine food’s microbial community composition and structure. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of different HP treatments on the microbial load and bacterial diversity of sous-vide Atlantic cod. Sous-vide cooking at 57.1 °C for 30 min followed by HP treatment at 500 MPa for 8 min reduced viable cell counts (total aerobic mesophiles) in the cod samples below detectable levels for 45 days of storage under refrigeration. In a second trial with cod cooked sous-vide at 52 °C for 20 min followed by HP treatments at 300 or 600 MPa (with HP treatment temperatures of 22 °C or 50 °C for 4 or 8 min, depending on treatment), only the treatments at 600 MPa delayed bacterial growth for at least 30 days under refrigeration. The optimal HP conditions to improve the microbiological quality of sous-vide cod cooked at low temperatures were obtained at 600 MPa for 4 min at a pressurization temperature of 50 °C. Bacterial diversity was studied in cod cooked sous-vide at 52 °C for 20 min by HTS. In the absence of HP treatment, Proteobacteria was the main bacterial group. A succession of Pseudomonadaceae (Pseudomonas) and Enterobacteriaceae was observed during storage. Firmicutes had low relative abundances and were represented mainly by Anoxybacillus (early storage) and Carnobacterium (late storage). The HP-treated sous-vide cod showed the greatest differences from controls during late storage, with Aerococcus and Enterococcus as predominant groups (depending on the HP conditions). The application of HTS provided new insights on the diversity and dynamics of the bacterial communities of sous-vide cod, revealing the presence of bacterial genera not previously described in this food, such as Anoxybacillus. The significance of Anoxybacillus as a contaminant of seafoods should be further investigated.

Antimicrobial Resistance, Biocide Tolerance, and Bacterial Diversity of a Dressing Made from Coriander and Parsley after Application of Treatments Using High Hydrostatic Pressure Alone or in Combination with Moderate Heat

The effects of high-hydrostatic pressure (HP) treatments (450 and 600 megapascals, MPa, for 5 min at temperatures of 22 °C and 50 °C) on the microbiota of a coriander and parsley dressing was studied via culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Samples were refrigerated for 20 days, with periodic counts of the culture media supplemented with, or without, antimicrobials. HP-treated samples showed significantly lower viable cell counts compared to untreated controls. Only the control samples yielded bacterial growth on media with antimicrobials (imipenem, cefotaxime, benzalkonium chloride), including mostly Pseudomonas and Lactobacillus. Bacillus and Paenibacillus were identified from pressurized samples. Few isolates showed higher tolerance to some of the biocides tested. Pseudomonads showed outstanding resistance to meropenem and ceftazidime. According to high-throughput sequencing analysis, the microbiota of the dressing control samples changes during storage, with a reduction in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and an increase in Firmicutes. The composition of the residual microbiota detected during storage was highly dependent on the pressure applied, and not on the treatment temperature.

The Role of the Bacterial Community in Producing a Peculiar Smell in Chinese Fermented Sour Soup

In this paper, the volatile flavour constituents and the bacterial diversity in characteristic Chinese fermented sour soup were analysed, and the dynamics of bacteria associated with the odour were characterized. The bacterial diversity of sour soup was studied by high-throughput sequencing. A total of 10 phyla and 89 genera were detected. Firmicutes was the dominant phylum of sour soup, accounting for 87.14-98.57%. The genus structure of normal sour soup was relatively simple, and Lactobacillus (78.05-90.26%) was the dominant genus. In addition to Lactobacillus, the foul-smelling sour soup contained more Pediococcus spp., Caproiciproducens spp., and Clostridium-sensu-stricto12 spp. (relative abundance >1%) than the normal sour soup. A total of 51 aroma compounds were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-IMS), including 25 esters, 8 terpenes, 8 alcohols, 3 sulfur compounds, 2 acids, 2 ketones, 1 pyrazine, 1 monoterpene and 1 aldehyde. According to the relative odour active value (ROAV) calculation, 51 important flavour-contributing substances and 7 flavour-coordinating substances were determined. The esters with the highest relative percentages and ROAV values provided the pleasant flavour of the sour soup. In the foul-smelling sour soup, the ROAV values of 1,8-cineole, isobutyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, ethyl octanoate-M, and ethyl hexanoate-M decreased, while those of diallyl disulfide-M and diallyl disulfide-D, which were probably responsible for the foul flavour, increased. Through Pearson correlation analysis, the odour production of the foul-smelling soup was determined to be related to Pediococcus spp., Caproiciproducens spp., Clostridiumsensu_stricto_12 spp., Oscillibacter spp., Bacteroides spp., Fibaculaceae_unclassified spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Halomonas spp.