Microbiological Safety and the Management of Microbial Resources in Artisanal Foods and Beverages: The Need for a Transdisciplinary Assessment to Conciliate Actual Trends and Risks Avoidance

Abstract

Current social and environmental trends explain the rising popularity of artisanal fermented foods and beverages. In contrast with their marketing success, several studies underline a lack of regulations necessary to claim differences occurred from the farm to the fork and to certify high quality and safety standards. Microbial-based fermentative processes represent the crucial phase in the production of fermented foods and beverages. Nevertheless, what are the effects of the application of the “artisanal” category to the management of food fermentations? This opinion paper is built up on this issue by analyzing microbial aspects, instances of innovation, safety issues, and possible solutions. Evidence indicates: (i) a global curiosity to exploit food fermentations as drivers of innovation in artisanal contexts and (ii) an increasing interest of the artisanal producers into management of fermentation that relies on native microbial consortia. Unfortunately, this kind of revamp of “artisanal food microbiology,” rather than re-establishing artisanal content, can restore the scarce hygienic conditions that characterized underdeveloped food systems. We highlight that in the scientific literature, it is possible to underline existing approaches that, surpassing the dichotomy between relying on spontaneous fermentation and the use of commercial starter cultures, depict a “third way” to conjugate interest in enhancing the artisanal attributes with the need for correct management of microbial-related risks in the final products.

Microbial Populations of Fresh and Cold Stored Donkey Milk by High-Throughput Sequencing Provide Indication for A Correct Management of This High-Value Product

“…Therefore, a timely treatment of the raw sample would be recommended to avoid the proliferation of an unwanted microflora, which could irreparably compromise the use of donkey milk for human consumption, and for any technological transformations. Also, in light of suggested cheese production from donkey raw milk [21,55], our findings suggested precautions to be adopted to assure the quality and the safety of these dairy products, including the possible risks associated with spontaneous fermentation [56,57].…”

Effect of Co-Inoculation of Candida zemplinina, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum for the Industrial Production of Negroamaro Wine in Apulia (Southern Italy)

“…In agreement with previous evidence [8], the above wines produced by co-inoculation of the three microbial species were denoted by enhanced fruity notes, it is likely to be explained by the metabolic interactions between yeasts and bacteria [8,48,72,73]. This exploitation of microbial diversity in the production of typical wines with unique pronounced sensory quality is relevant to provide a robust (and sustainable) alternative to the instances for a return to spontaneous fermentation for the differentiation of traditional/artisanal fermented foods and beverages (the latter being a trend that poses risks for human health and the quality of fermentative processes) [74][75][76][77].…”

Yeasts and Bacterial Consortia from Kefir Grains Are Effective Biocontrol Agents of Postharvest Diseases of Fruits

“…Fermented food products, including the communities of organisms responsible for their fermentation, have been consumed for centuries [11]. These communities of fermentative organisms are now recognized as probiotics that confer several health benefits to humans and animals [12].…”