Wooden Tools: Reservoirs of Microbial Biodiversity in Traditional Cheesemaking

Lortal, Sylvie; Licitra, G.; Valence, Florence

doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.cm-0008-2012

Cited by 26 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This same French agency authorizes wooden boards in direct contact with food. In 2014, Lortal and others () described the role of wood as a “reservoir of microbial biodiversity for traditional cheeses” according to the results of safety assessments. Moreover, the natural biofilms which form on wooden surfaces have been proved safe and able to inhibit pathogenic bacteria with mechanisms that need to be further explored (Mariani and others ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The raw milk is placed directly into a traditional wooden vat called a “gerle.” This cheese is made without lactic starters, and the use of the wooden “gerle” is mandatory in its production regulation. It is a cylindrical or conical wooden vat made of chestnut wood with a capacity of 100 to 1000 L (Lortal and others ). In 1997, Richard () was the first to observe the biofilm of wooden “gerles,” compounds of yeasts and bacteria, using scanning electron microscopy.…”

Section: Wood and Food Safety Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review

Aviat

Gerhards

Rodríguez-Jerez³

et al. 2016

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

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Food packaging is multifunctional: it protects from harvest to table. Four main groups of materials for direct food contact are mentioned in the literature: wood, glass, plastic, and metal. In this review, the focus is on wooden packaging for direct contact with food. In Europe, wood as a food contact material is subject to European Regulation (EC) No 1935 states that materials must not transfer their constituents to food. Today, wooden packaging, like other packaging materials, does not have a Europe-wide harmonized specific regulation, so member countries legislate at different levels. Wood has been safely used for centuries in contact with food but is usually questioned because of its microbiological behavior compared with smooth surfaces. Based on a review of published conclusions from scientific studies over the last 20 y and after a description of the general properties of wooden packaging, we focus on the microbiological status of natural wood. Then, we discuss the parameters influencing the survival of microorganisms on wood. Finally, we report on the transfer of microorganisms from wood to food and the factors influencing this phenomenon. This review demonstrates that the porous nature of wood, especially when compared with smooth surfaces, is not responsible for the limited hygiene of the material used in the food industry and that it may even be an advantage for its microbiological status. In fact, its rough or porous surface often generates unfavorable conditions for microorganisms. In addition, wood has the particular characteristic of producing antimicrobial components able to inhibit or limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wood and Food Safety Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review

Aviat

Gerhards

Rodríguez-Jerez³

et al. 2016

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

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“…The use of wooden vats is mandatory for some cheeses that have the PDO status, because wooden vats allow the development of a spontaneous microbiota on the inner surface (biofilm) that has been proved to be a very efficient delivery system for LAB (23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Activation of Wooden Vats Used for Traditional Cheese Production and Evolution of Neoformed Biofilms

Gaglio

Cruciata

Gerlando

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

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bThree Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains were used to develop ad hoc biofilms on the surfaces of virgin wooden vats used for cheese production. Two vats (TZ) were tested under controlled conditions (pilot plant), and two vats (TA) were tested under uncontrolled conditions (industrial plant). In each plant, one vat (TA1 and TZ1) was used for the control, traditional production of PDO Vastedda della Valle del Belìce (Vastedda) cheese, and one (TA2 and TZ2) was used for experimental production performed after lactococcal biofilm activation and the daily addition of a natural whey starter culture (NWSC). Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed differences in terms of microbial levels and composition of the neoformed biofilms. The levels of the microbial groups investigated during cheese production showed significant differences between the control trials and between the control and experimental trials, but the differences were not particularly marked between the TA2 and TZ2 productions, which showed the largest numbers of mesophilic lactic acid bacterium (LAB) cocci. LAB populations were characterized phenotypically and genotypically, and 44 dominant strains belonging to 10 species were identified. Direct comparison of the polymorphic profiles of the LAB collected during cheese making showed that the addition of the NWSC reduced their biodiversity. Sensory evaluation showed that the microbial activation of the wooden vats with the multistrain Lactococcus culture generated cheeses with sensory attributes comparable to those of commercial cheese. Thus, neoformed biofilms enable a reduction of microbial variability and stabilize the sensorial attributes of Vastedda cheese.

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“…Instead, they are composed of mixed species of bacteria and eukaryotes, which are thought to be more stable than monospecies films (3,4). This behavior is also the case with microbial communities in food environments (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). In the particular case of olive table fermentations, the presence of polymicrobial communities composed of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) attached to both biotic (skin of the olives) and abiotic (inner fermenter walls) surfaces has been reported (11)(12)(13)(14).…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

Formation of In Vitro Mixed-Species Biofilms by Lactobacillus pentosus and Yeasts Isolated from Spanish-Style Green Table Olive Fermentations

León-Romero

Domínguez-Manzano

Garrido‐Fernández

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The present work details the in vitro interactions between Lactobacillus pentosus and yeast strains isolated from table olive processing to form mixed biofilms. Among the different pairs assayed, the strongest biofilms were obtained from L. pentosus and Candida boidinii strain cocultures. However, biofilm formation was inhibited in the presence of D-(؉)-mannose. In addition, biofilm formation by C. boidinii monoculture was stimulated in the absence of cell-cell contact with L. pentosus. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that a sort of "sticky" material formed by the yeasts contributed to substrate adherence. Hence, the data obtained in this work suggest that yeast-lactobacilli biofilms may be favored by the presence of a specific mate of yeast and L. pentosus, and that more than one mechanism might be implicated in the biofilm formation. This knowledge will help in the design of appropriate mixed starter cultures of L. pentosus-yeast species pairs that are able to improve the quality and safety of Spanish-style green table olive processing. U ntil recently, microbiologists had studied microorganisms as pure cultures of nonaggregated planktonic cells. However, it is now well accepted that in nature, microorganisms can exist within microbial communities named biofilms (1). Biofilms are defined as sessile microbial communities that are attached to a surface or each other, surrounded by a matrix of exopolysaccharide material (EPS) and extracellular DNA (eDNA) produced and released by the same microorganisms. According to Costerton et al. (2), the biofilm life cycle is part of a dominant survival strategy in natural environments.It is known that monocultural biofilms are rarely found in nature. Instead, they are composed of mixed species of bacteria and eukaryotes, which are thought to be more stable than monospecies films (3, 4). This behavior is also the case with microbial communities in food environments (5-10). In the particular case of olive table fermentations, the presence of polymicrobial communities composed of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) attached to both biotic (skin of the olives) and abiotic (inner fermenter walls) surfaces has been reported (11-14). The predominant LAB adhered to the surface of this fruit belong mainly to the species Lactobacillus pentosus, although a variety of yeast species coexist in the same biofilms during fermentation. Candida boidinii, Debaryomyces etchelsii, Issatchenkia occidentalis, Pichia membranifaciens, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus are among the most prominent yeast species found in this fermented fruit (15).Apart from contributing to the sensory attributes of the final product and other advantageous activities, it has been recognized that yeasts have a beneficial role in the olive fermentation ecosystem by promoting the growth of L. pentosus through the production of essential B vitamins (15-18). In the last few years, various authors have described the biofilm formation process with mixed species of L. pentosus and yeasts in natura...

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Wooden Tools: Reservoirs of Microbial Biodiversity in Traditional Cheesemaking

Cited by 26 publications

References 18 publications

Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review

Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review

Microbial Activation of Wooden Vats Used for Traditional Cheese Production and Evolution of Neoformed Biofilms

Formation of In Vitro Mixed-Species Biofilms by Lactobacillus pentosus and Yeasts Isolated from Spanish-Style Green Table Olive Fermentations

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