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Article

Microbiological Safety and Functional Properties of a Fermented Nut-Based Product

by
Giulia Tabanelli
1,2,
Chiara Montanari
1,*,
Ana M. Gómez-Caravaca
3,4,
Elixabet Díaz-de-Cerio
5,
Vito Verardo
4,5,
Fatemeh Shanbeh Zadeh
1,
Lucia Vannini
1,2,
Fausto Gardini
1,2 and
Federica Barbieri
1
1
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
2
Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Agri-Food Research, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
3
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avd. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
4
Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology ‘José Mataix’, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
5
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Granada, Campus of Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3095; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193095
Submission received: 8 August 2024 / Revised: 19 September 2024 / Accepted: 26 September 2024 / Published: 27 September 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms and Enzymes in Fermented Products)

Abstract

Fermented nut-based products, obtained after soaking and fermentation, are gaining increasing interest as animal food substitutes because of ethical, environmental and health reasons. In these products, Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) perform the fermentation, leading to matrix acidification and contributing to controlling spoilage and pathogenic microbiota. In this work, LAB strains isolated from an artisanal product and combined with a commercial strain were added as starter cultures during nut soaking to produce a cheese-like fermented plant-based product. Three different LAB consortia were used in challenge tests at laboratory scale against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli or Salmonella Enteritidis, inoculated in nuts at 5 log CFU/g, and monitored for pathogen survival and matrix acidification. The combination of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 82 and Leuc. carnosum 4010 resulted in faster acidification (pH value < 4.4 after 18 h instead of 48 h) and the reduction of target pathogens; L. monocytogenes was already absent after seven days from production, and the counts of E. coli or S. Enteritidis were lower with respect to other samples. Thus, this microbial consortium was used for a pilot-scale production in which, beyond safety, the fermented plant-based product was also characterized for aroma profile and phenolic compounds, parameters that are known to be affected by LAB fermentation. The results showed an enhancement of the aroma profile, with an accumulation of molecules able to confer cheese-like notes (i.e., acetoin and diacetyl) and higher phenolic content, as well as the presence of compounds (i.e., phenyllactic acid and hydroxyphenyllactic acid) that could exert antimicrobial activity. This study allowed us to set up a guided fermentation for a cheese-like vegan product, guaranteeing safety and improving aromatic and functional features.
Keywords: vegan product; cheese analogues; lactic acid bacteria; bioprotective cultures; Listeria monocytogenes; Escherichia coli; Salmonella Enteritidis; phenolic content vegan product; cheese analogues; lactic acid bacteria; bioprotective cultures; Listeria monocytogenes; Escherichia coli; Salmonella Enteritidis; phenolic content

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tabanelli, G.; Montanari, C.; Gómez-Caravaca, A.M.; Díaz-de-Cerio, E.; Verardo, V.; Zadeh, F.S.; Vannini, L.; Gardini, F.; Barbieri, F. Microbiological Safety and Functional Properties of a Fermented Nut-Based Product. Foods 2024, 13, 3095. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193095

AMA Style

Tabanelli G, Montanari C, Gómez-Caravaca AM, Díaz-de-Cerio E, Verardo V, Zadeh FS, Vannini L, Gardini F, Barbieri F. Microbiological Safety and Functional Properties of a Fermented Nut-Based Product. Foods. 2024; 13(19):3095. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193095

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tabanelli, Giulia, Chiara Montanari, Ana M. Gómez-Caravaca, Elixabet Díaz-de-Cerio, Vito Verardo, Fatemeh Shanbeh Zadeh, Lucia Vannini, Fausto Gardini, and Federica Barbieri. 2024. "Microbiological Safety and Functional Properties of a Fermented Nut-Based Product" Foods 13, no. 19: 3095. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193095

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