Selection and Evaluation of Staphylococcus xylosus as a Biocontrol Agent against Toxigenic Moulds in a Dry-Cured Ham Model System

Abstract

Toxigenic moulds can develop on the surface of dry-cured meat products during ripening due to their ecological conditions, which constitutes a risk for consumers. A promising strategy to control this hazard is the use of antifungal microorganisms usually found in these foods. However, to date, the effectiveness of gram-positive catalase-positive cocci (GCC+) has not been explored. The aim of this work was to select GCC+ isolates with antifungal activity to study its effectiveness in a dry-cured ham model system at the environmental conditions reached during the ripening. Forty-five strains of GCC+ were evaluated and the isolate Staphylococcus xylosus Sx8 was selected to assess its efficacy at two different concentrations (106 and 104 cfu/mL) against Penicillium nordicum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Penicillium griseofulvum at 15, 20, and 25 °C. The results showed that the inoculation of 106 cfu/mL of S. xylosus completely inhibited the growth of most fungi. In addition, in the presence of this strain at 104 cfu/mL, a significant reduction in fungal growth and mycotoxins production was observed at the three temperatures studied. In conclusion, S. xylosus Sx8 possesses great potential as a biological agent to control toxigenic moulds in dry-cured meat products.

Indigenous Microbiota to Leverage Traditional Dry Sausage Production

“…Competition for nutrients and space, together with the production of peptides and proteins with antifungal properties—including a group of small, basic, and cysteine-rich antifungal proteins (AFPs)—is the main mechanism by which some nontoxigenic molds could collaborate in the control of undesirable fungi and improve product safety [ 113 – 115 ]. Penicillium chrysogenum isolated from dry-cured meat [ 116 ] produces the antifungal protein PgAFP [ 117 ] and has shown potential as protective culture by inhibition of P. griseofulvum CPA production on dry fermented sausage during ripening [ 118 ]. On the other hand, the antifungal protein PgAFP produced ex situ was effective in reducing growth of toxigenic A. flavus and P. restrictum in dry fermented sausages, but its effect was time limited [ 113 ].…”

Microbiota Survey of Sliced Cooked Ham During the Secondary Shelf Life

“…S. xylosus occurred only in product A. It is used as a biocontrol agent to preserve meat products from mycotoxin produced by fungi, can convert nitrates to nitrites, and is responsible for aroma components ( Stahnke, 1994 ; Cebrián et al, 2020 ).…”

Diversity of bacterial community in Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) during storage is associated with the genotype and carbohydrates

“…Pathogen infestation and spoilage may often not be caused by a single organism but is likely to result from the interplay of individual members of the microbial community in crops. Microbes enriched in unrotten samples primarily belong to Cyanobacteria, Staphylococcus , and Staphylococcaceae , which could act as potential biocontrol agents against rot ( Prasanna et al, 2015 ; Cebrián et al, 2020 ; Lorenzini and Zapparoli, 2020 ; Shah et al, 2021 ). We speculated that this effect could originate directly from the impact of the biocontrol agents on the composition of the microbiota or indirectly from their impact on a pathogen.…”