Bacteriophage-host interactions as a platform to establish the role of phages in modulating the microbial composition of fermented foods

Abstract

Food fermentation relies on the activity of robust starter cultures, which are commonly comprised of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactococcus and Streptococcus thermophilus. While bacteriophage infection represents a persistent threat that may cause slowed or failed fermentations, their beneficial role in fermentations is also being appreciated. In order to develop robust starter cultures, it is important to understand how phages interact with and modulate the compositional landscape of these complex microbial communities. Both culture-dependent and -independent methods have been instrumental in defining individual phage-host interactions of many lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This knowledge needs to be integrated and expanded to obtain a full understanding of the overall complexity of such interactions pertinent to fermented foods through a combination of culturomics, metagenomics, and phageomics. With such knowledge, it is believed that factory-specific detection and monitoring systems may be developed to ensure robust and reliable fermentation practices. In this review, we explore/discuss phage-host interactions of LAB, the role of both virulent and temperate phages on the microbial composition, and the current knowledge of phageomes of fermented foods.

Carbohydrate-active enzyme profiles of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain 84-3 contribute to flavor formation in fermented dairy and vegetable products

“…There is growing evidence that bacteriophages in fermented foods can directly affect the flavor and quality through their interactions with fermenting bacteria ( White et al, 2022 , Du et al, 2023 ). Previous studies have also indicated that the aroma from volatile acids such as acetic and propionic acids in starter cultures may be lost because of the destruction of aroma bacteria by specific phage strains ( Ortiz, de, van, van, van, & Mahony, 2023 ).…”

The Probiotic Enterococcus Lactis SF68 as a Potential Food Fermentation Microorganism for Safe Food Production

“…Many of the currently used LAB starter cultures are vulnerable to phage attack, e.g., the mesophilic L. lactis-based cultures. 69 It is well known that Streptococcus thermophilus, a thermophilic LAB with many dairy applications, harbors a CRISPR/Cas system, and it contributes greatly to the resistance of S. thermophilus cultures to various phages. 70,71 When analyzing the genome of E. lactis SF68, one CRISPR/Cas locus was found.…”

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Bacteriophage P2

“…Similarly, phages can also eliminate multi-drug-resistant pathogens, providing new options for treating drug-resistant bacterial diseases worldwide (Kortright et al 2019). However, in the fermentation industry, due to the ability of viru-lent phages to rapidly lyse the cells of bacterial strains, it may cause massive death of culture strains in a short time, which might increase fermentation time, resulting in lower viscosity values, poor organoleptic properties of fermentation products, and finally express a negative impact on the quality and value of final products and eventually economic losses (Ofir and Sorek 2018;Jamal et al 2019;Mancini et al 2021;White et al 2022).…”