International journal of food microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of Campylobacter isolated from retail duck meat in Southern China","authors":"Chen Lixuan ,&nbsp;He Haishan ,&nbsp;Miu Tianshuang ,&nbsp;Guan Jin ,&nbsp;Xia Ruowei ,&nbsp;Zheng Zexin ,&nbsp;Zhang Jianmin","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Campylobacter</em> is a significant foodborne pathogen. However, most current studies have focused on chicken-derived <em>Campylobacter</em>, while systematic epidemiological investigations on duck-derived <em>Campylobacter</em> remain relatively limited. Given that China is the largest duck meat producer globally, conducting systematic epidemiological surveys on duck-borne <em>Campylobacter</em> is of considerable public health importance. This study analyzed the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and virulence genes of <em>Campylobacter</em> isolates from retail duck meat in Southern China. A total of 350 duck meat samples were collected from retail markets, consisting of 173 fresh, 167 refrigerated, and 10 frozen samples. The ISO 10272 guidelines were used to isolate 61 <em>Campylobacter</em> strains (17.4 %), with <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> (<em>C. jejuni</em>, 80.3 %) showing a significantly higher prevalence than <em>Campylobacter coli</em> (<em>C. coli</em>, 19.7 %). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed high resistance rates to Erythromycin (96.7 %), Streptomycin (93.4 %), Nalidixic Acid (93.4 %), Ampicillin (78.7 %), and Gentamicin (78.7 %). All isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR). It is noteworthy that mutations were identified in the present study, including the 23S rRNA gene (A2075G and C2113T), ribosomal proteins L4 and L22, as well as the Thr-86-Ile substitution in the <em>gyrA</em> gene. These alterations in key target sites may contribute to the observed resistance phenotypes to erythromycin and fluoroquinolones, though the precise mechanisms warrant further investigation. In addition to antimicrobial resistance, virulence gene analysis revealed a high prevalence of <em>cdtB</em> (59.0 %) and <em>cadF</em> (57.4 %), with <em>C. jejuni</em> carrying a significantly higher number of virulence genes compared to <em>C. coli</em>. The study highlights the significant public health risk posed by MDR <em>Campylobacter</em> in duck meat, emphasizing the need for stricter regulations on antibiotic use in livestock and continuous monitoring to mitigate the spread of resistant strains through the food chain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111577"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of a novel phage vB_Sa_2868B2 and its endolysin LytN with broad antibacterial Spectrum against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on food matrices, and metal surfaces","authors":"Feng Zhang ,&nbsp;Shi Wu ,&nbsp;Jiaxu Gao ,&nbsp;Shiyu Ma ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Pei ,&nbsp;Xu Yang ,&nbsp;Zhiping Zhang ,&nbsp;Lili Song ,&nbsp;Tao Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The novel bacteriophage vB_Sa_2868B2 and its endolysin LytN, which were isolated and characterized in this study, demonstrate significant potential as effective biocontrol agents against foodborne multidrug-resistant <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, including methicillin-resistant <em>S. aureus</em> (MRSA). Morphological and genomic analyses revealed that vB_Sa_2868B2 is a new species of the genus <em>Rosenblumvirus</em>. Lifecycle and stability assays demonstrated that phage vB_Sa_2868B2 exhibited a short latent period (20 min), a high burst size (126 plaque-forming units [PFU]/cell), and broad tolerance to temperature (4–60 °C) and pH (4.0–11.0) conditions. The phage displayed a wide host range for <em>S. aureus,</em> lysing 49.10 % <em>S. aureus</em> strains with 29 different sequence types (STs). vB_Sa_2868B2 effectively reduced bacterial loads of <em>S. aureus</em> in milk by 5.60–5.80 log₁₀ CFU/mL within 6 h. Furthermore, the purified endolysin LytN of vB_Sa_2868B2 showed robust stability across a wide temperature (0–45 °C) and pH (3.0–12.0) range, coupled with excellent metal ion tolerance. Notably, endolysin LytN demonstrated broad lytic activity, lysing 97.13 % of staphylococcal strains spanning 37 distinct STs, particularly including 99.11 % of the methicillin-resistant <em>S. aureus</em> (MRSA) isolates. Both phage vB_Sa_2868B2 and endolysin LytN exhibited significant bactericidal efficacy against MRSA in pork, with LytN treatment achieving a 3.50 log₁₀ CFU/mL reduction. Additionally, the phage and endolysin effectively disrupted biofilms on stainless steel surfaces, reducing bacterial counts on metal contact surfaces by 4.00 and 4.30 log₁₀ CFU/mL. Collectively, these findings highlight that the novel phage vB_Sa_2868B2 and endolysin LytN are highly effective, promising antibacterial biocontrol candidates for controlling <em>S. aureus</em> in the food industry. This work provides a robust foundation for developing novel, phage-based interventions to enhance food safety and combat antibiotic resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111575"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145774512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Whole genome sequencing reveals transmission dynamics and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes along the poultry slaughtering and processing chain","authors":"Ye Wang ,&nbsp;Chaohui Huang ,&nbsp;Sijie Wu ,&nbsp;Jianye Jia ,&nbsp;Tianxiang Pan ,&nbsp;Ruochen Wang ,&nbsp;Jing Li ,&nbsp;Zegang Wang ,&nbsp;Chuang Meng ,&nbsp;Yuelan Yin ,&nbsp;Xin'an Jiao","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Listeria monocytogenes</em> (Lm) is a gram-positive foodborne pathogen responsible for severe invasive human and livestock listeriosis. The dissemination of Lm throughout the poultry production chain significantly increases the risk of human listeriosis. In this study, we investigated the epidemiology and genetic characteristics of Lm in a poultry slaughterhouse using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Lm contamination was detected in 8.32 % (77/925) of slaughterhouse carcasses, 9.86 % (102/1035) of environmental samples, and 13.28 % (32/241) of retail chicken, showing a gradual increase along the production chain. Moreover, contamination levels rose progressively throughout processing, reaching their highest at the quick-freezing and refrigeration stages after evisceration. Cross-contamination between poultry carcasses and processing equipment surfaces (8 ≤ single-nucleotide polymorphism distance (SNP) ≤ 21) was major driver of Lm transmission in slaughterhouse. Core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) and SNP analyses identified four persistent Lm clusters (clonal complex 8, 9, 19 and 87), indicating long-term contamination on slaughterhouse processing equipment surfaces. Notably, all serotype 1/2b isolates belonged to cluster CC87 and harbored multiple stress resistance genes, demonstrating enhanced adaptability to slaughterhouse environments. In addition, CC87 strains showed reduced susceptibility to ampicillin (100 %) and gentamicin (66.7 %), highlighting significant therapeutic challenges and public health risks. These findings underscore the importance of implementing robust epidemiological surveillance throughout the poultry production chain to prevent Lm contamination and reduce the risk of human listeriosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111568"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145819349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative evaluation of LAB proteolytic activities in soy-based dairy alternatives and bovine milk for selecting plant-based food starter strains","authors":"Joanna Ivy Irorita Fugaban ,&nbsp;Steffen Yde Bak ,&nbsp;Pascal Fourcassie ,&nbsp;Claus Heiner Bang-Berthelsen ,&nbsp;Egon Bech Hansen","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The green transition in food production has intensified the search for novel starter cultures to produce plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) that match dairy products in quality, taste, and texture. Traditional dairy starters have shown clear limitations in these matrices, particularly in nitrogen metabolism and proteolysis. This study aimed to screen and characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with proteolytic traits better suited for plant-based food fermentations. Diverse LAB strains from different genera were screened in a soy-based drink (SBD), identifying 14 different clades of cell envelope proteinases (CEPs). Representative strains were then comparatively profiled in bovine milk and SBD, revealing that Clade I proteases have three distinct phenotypes, with proteases that are active predominantly in milk, predominantly in SBD, or in both matrices. Sequence and three-dimensional structure analyses identified amino acid differences in the Fn2 domain that may modulate substrate specificity. Soy-specific proteases were observed to have a tandem deletion in the pro-peptide and mutation at H763 in the active enzyme. Additionally, proteomics analysis revealed that these proteases target the disordered regions of soy proteins as the primary sources of peptides. The soy proteins dehydrin (K7LEQ5) and a late embryogenesis abundant protein (I1L957), which have highly disordered structures similar to caseins, were found to be susceptible to these proteases. Comparative peptide profiling showed that <em>Lactococcus</em> proteinases generated highly varied peptide sequences with consistent peptide lengths, whereas <em>prtS</em> gene-coded proteinases produced more uniform peptide sets, which highlights key functional difference between these two groups of traditional dairy starters. Overall, our findings indicate that Clade I proteases can be beneficial for hybrid dairy fermentation and plant-based fermentation, while Clade IV are highly conserved and ubiquitous in plant-adapted <em>Leuconostoc</em> spp. Although further investigation of these proteases is needed, these findings help fill a gap in comprehensive studies of the proteolytic capacity across different food matrices and provide detailed criteria for selecting suitable starter strains for plant-based foods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111566"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145774547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genomic characterization of five novel Salmonella phages and the assessment of their biocontrol potential for the preservation of chicken meat","authors":"Gizem Cufaoglu ,&nbsp;Gorkem Cengiz ,&nbsp;Bahar Onaran Acar ,&nbsp;Ozlem Kardogan ,&nbsp;Nurhan Ertas Onmaz ,&nbsp;Gultekin Unal ,&nbsp;Erva Eser ,&nbsp;Bilge Alpaslan Kocamemi ,&nbsp;Muammer Goncuoglu ,&nbsp;Irfan Erol ,&nbsp;TÜBİTAK-121Z447 project scholars and consultants ,&nbsp;Naim Deniz Ayaz","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rise of multidrug-resistant <em>Salmonella</em> poses a significant threat to food safety and public health, necessitating novel antimicrobial strategies. The primary objective of this study was to characterize novel bacteriophages and assess their biocontrol potential against predominant <em>Salmonella</em> serotypes. A total of 84 lytic bacteriophages specific to various <em>Salmonella enterica</em> serotypes were isolated from wastewater sources across Türkiye. Five phages (S.Hadar 4–5-1, S.Inf 5–2, S.Typ Adana, S.Ent 1–35-3, and S.Kent 1–2-1) demonstrating broad lytic activity to tested major serotypes (<em>S.</em> Enteritidis, <em>S.</em> Typhimurium, <em>S.</em> Infantis, <em>S</em>. Kentucky, <em>S</em>. Newport, <em>S</em>. Hadar, <em>S.</em> Gallinarum and <em>S</em>. Pullorum) and genetic diversity were selected for detailed phenotypic and genomic analysis. These phages, four from <em>Siphoviridae</em> and one from <em>Podoviridae</em>, exhibited tolerance to thermal (up to 60 °C) and mildly acidic conditions (pH 4), as well as 12-month stability when stored in Tris-Buffered Saline (TBS) with 20 % (<em>v</em>/v) glycerol at −20 °C and − 80 °C. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed their novelty and the absence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. A cocktail formulated from these phages was applied against <em>Salmonella</em> Enteritidis both in-vitro (at 37 °C) and on artificially contaminated chicken wings (at 4 °C). The phage cocktail effectively reduced <em>Salmonella</em> counts in both environments, keeping levels below the detection limit (&lt; 1 log CFU/g) over 24 h. For chicken wings food model, bacterial reductions reached 3.30 log CFU/g and 4.86 log CFU/g. These results underscore the potential of the newly characterized <em>Salmonella</em> phages as effective tools for controlling bacterial contamination on chicken meat, supporting their use as a natural, and antibiotic-free strategy in modern food safety management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111574"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peracetic acid efficacy and decay kinetics in poultry processing under chiller conditions","authors":"Vyshnavi Ciluveru ,&nbsp;Jason Simon ,&nbsp;Jeffery M. Farber ,&nbsp;Shawn D. Ryan ,&nbsp;Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli ,&nbsp;Daniel S. Munther","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111572","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pathogens on poultry products continue to pose critical public health risks. While chilling is a critical control point, the mechanisms of sanitizer efficacy in terms of pathogen and organic load, sanitizer levels, and exposure duration have not been clearly quantified. Moving beyond descriptive sanitizer-pathogen reduction experiments, we utilized experimentally-informed-mathematical-modeling to determine pathogen dynamics during chilling. Under realistic conditions in 10-L chiller tanks, whole chicken carcasses were exposed to peracetic acid (PAA; 70 and 200 mg⋅L⁻¹) with process water parameters and PAA levels monitored up to 60 min. Additionally, the shedding and survival of a five-strain cocktail of poultry plant derived <em>Salmonella enterica</em> serovars, at high and low loads, with exposure to PAA (0–75 mg⋅L⁻¹) for up to 10 min, in the presence/absence of inoculated chicken thighs, were measured. A mathematical model for PAA decay and pathogen shedding/inactivation was developed. Results indicate total dissolved solids (TDS) predict PAA decay more consistently than chemical oxygen demand (COD), with accurate forecasting of PAA level changes in the pre/main chiller of a high-speed poultry processing plant in North America. Without organic load, residual PAA (1 mg⋅L⁻¹) inactivated bacteria given sufficient exposure time, although PAA levels &gt;5 mg⋅L⁻¹ were essential for rapid inactivation. With organic load, initial PAA concentration (&gt; 40 mg⋅L⁻¹) and exposure time (&gt; 2 min) were critical for bacterial reduction, with model results contrasting when shed or sanitizer inactivation dominate. The data and insights from this study provide novel tools for processors to improve pathogen control during chilling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111572"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145719040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From phyllosphere to fermentation: Impact of fermentation scale and temperature on sauerkraut fermentation","authors":"Nanzhen Qiao,&nbsp;Michael G. Gänzle","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spontaneous fermentation of vegetables such as kimchi, pao cai and sauerkraut, relies on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the plant phyllosphere. Plant-associated LAB occur only at low abundance. This study investigated the impact of fermentation scale, temperature and cabbage source on the LAB diversity. Fermentations were conducted at a scale of 0.8 g to 30 g by immersion of chopped interior leaves of white cabbage obtained from two supermarkets, SF and SW, in 2.5 % (<em>w</em>/w) NaCl solution at 10 °C and 20 °C. Fermentations were monitored by pH determination, metabolite analysis and microbial cell counts, and by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Fermentation of 0.8 g cabbage SF with 20 replicates per group supported growth of <em>Enterobacterales</em> but not of LAB. Cabbage SW was fermented by <em>Leuconostoc</em> spp., with an average relative abundance of 98.8 % after 28 d. In fermentations with 8 g cabbage, <em>Lactiplantibacillus</em> established as dominating fermentation microorganism. At the 30 g scale, <em>Lactiplantibacillus</em> dominated at 20 °C regardless of cabbage source, whereas <em>Leuconostoc</em> or <em>Rahnella</em> remained dominant at 10 °C. The organic acid concentrations and the metabolism of phenolic compounds differed depending on whether <em>Lactiplantibacillus</em>, <em>Leuconostoc</em> or <em>Rahnella</em> were the predominant fermentation microorganisms. Collectively, our data highlight that the establishment of LAB communities in sauerkraut fermentation is influenced by both the fermentation scale and temperature, underscoring the critical roles of <em>Lactiplantibacillus</em> at higher temperatures and <em>Leuconostoc</em> at lower temperatures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"447 ","pages":"Article 111571"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145714069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supercritical carbon dioxide inactivation technology for food product preservation","authors":"Pietro Andrigo ,&nbsp;Sara Spilimbergo ,&nbsp;Alessandro Zambon","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) is increasingly recognized as a non-thermal food preservation technology capable of ensuring microbial safety while preserving nutritional and sensory quality. Operating at moderate temperatures (&lt;50 °C), scCO₂ offers an environmentally friendly alternative to thermal pasteurization, leveraging its unique physicochemical properties to penetrate cells, induce acidification, and disrupt microbial structures. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the antimicrobial mechanisms of scCO₂, including effects on membranes, enzymes, and intracellular pH, as well as its limitations in low-moisture systems and against spores, which require higher temperature, water, or synergistic co-treatments. The inactivation of viruses and fungal spores is also discussed, highlighting the potential of scCO₂ in combination with additives such as hydrogen peroxide or natural antimicrobials. Attention is given to sublethal injury and viable-but-non-culturable (VBNC) states, which pose risks for microbial recovery and underscore the need for robust detection and storage strategies. The review explores hurdle technology approaches, integrating scCO₂ with pulsed electric fields, high-power ultrasound, high-pressure processing, and food-grade additives to enhance lethality while maintaining product integrity. Current applications remain limited to pilot- or small-scale operations, with promising results in juices, dairy, and ready-to-eat foods. However, industrial adoption faces persistent challenges such as high equipment costs, regulatory uncertainties, and limited scalability. Future efforts should prioritize standardization of process parameters, validation of continuous systems, and regulatory harmonization. Overall, scCO₂ emerges as a versatile, sustainable, and gentle alternative for microbial inactivation, well-suited to meet consumer demand for safe, minimally processed foods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111573"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145719039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative genomics and functional traits of Weissella cibaria and Weissella confusa isolated from kimchi","authors":"Md. Ashikur Rahman ,&nbsp;Hyunhee Hong ,&nbsp;Md. Ashrafudoulla ,&nbsp;Shirin Akter ,&nbsp;Sang-Do Ha ,&nbsp;Si Hong Park","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Weissella</em> is a fascinating genus that has garnered increasing attention for its probiotic potential and industrial versatility. In this study, we present a detailed genomic and phenotypic investigation of six <em>Weissella</em> strains isolated from kimchi, identified as <em>W. cibaria</em> (254, 256, 258, 260) and <em>W. confusa</em> (255, 257). Genomic analysis revealed species-specific differences, with <em>W. cibaria</em> linked to cell cycle regulation and replication, while <em>W. confusa</em> displayed adaptations for motility and metabolic diversity. Antibiotic resistance gene analysis revealed the presence of daunorubicin resistance (<em>drrA</em>), multidrug resistance determinants (<em>bmr3</em>, <em>lmrA</em>, <em>ykkCD</em>), and species-specific resistance to bicyclomycin (<em>bcr1</em>, <em>bcr2</em>) and quaternary ammonium compounds (<em>qacC</em>). Phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated intrinsic resistance to vancomycin alongside high sensitivity to ampicillin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and gentamicin. Probiotic assessments highlighted significant tolerance to acid, bile salts, and enzymatic stress, with <em>W. cibaria</em> 256 and <em>W. confusa</em> 255 showing superior survivability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. High surface hydrophobicity observed in <em>W. confusa</em> 255 and 257 further underscores their adhesion capabilities, which are crucial for gut colonization. Exopolysaccharide (EPS) production was further characterized by FTIR analysis, revealing diverse functional groups associated with structural protection and probiotic functionality. Morphological characteristics as determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed rod-shaped cells of 1.39–1.87 μm in length and 0.50–0.70 μm in width for <em>W. cibaria</em> strains versus 1.02–1.45 μm in length and 0.54–0.62 μm in width for <em>W. confusa</em> strains. These findings provide novel insights into the genomic and phenotypic underpinnings of <em>Weissella</em> species' probiotic properties, resistance mechanisms, and adaptability to fermented food environments, highlighting their promising applications in functional food development and human health enhancement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"448 ","pages":"Article 111565"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145827415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental microorganisms as heterogeneous sources and shapers of the fermentation microbiome in Zhejiang rosy vinegar","authors":"Guoli Chang ,&nbsp;Jun Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaoyue Fang ,&nbsp;Shenchenyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Haixia Lu ,&nbsp;Yipeng Jiang ,&nbsp;Junli Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zhejiang rosy vinegar (ZRV) fermentation is a complex, spontaneous open-system process, where microbial communities are key to its unique characteristics. However, the precise influence of the brewing workshop environment on these dynamic microbial communities remains underexplored, hindering consistent product quality. Here, we characterized the environmental and fermentation microbial communities across three factories using high-throughput sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS), qPCR, and advanced ecological network analyses. Our results establish that the brewing environment acts as a critical, heterogeneous, and factory-specific microbial reservoir, and provides the primary inoculum for fermentation initiation. Our findings revealed significant inter-factory differences in environmental microbial loads and community structures. For instance, the SX environment was characterized by a unique composition, including the notable presence of <em>Monascus</em> on jar lids. Source tracking confirmed this environmental “seeding” significantly shapes initial fermentation communities, with contributions from floor and jar surfaces. During fermentation, bacterial communities consistently shifted (LAB decrease, <em>Acetobacter</em> increase), but fungal successions varied notably by factory. Specifically, the natural fermentation at the SX factory fostered a distinct fungal community trajectory, characterized by a unique decrease in <em>Saccharomyces</em> and the emergence of <em>Monascus</em> as the dominant genus in later stages. This trajectory was directly linked to its distinct environmental fungal populations and their pronounced influence from the initial solid-state phase. While internal selective pressures eventually govern community structure, environmental conditions profoundly dictate overall microbial diversity and succession. A core microbiome (<em>Bacillus</em>, <em>Sphingomonas</em>, <em>Cryptococcus</em>, <em>Monascus</em>), consistently present in both environmental and fermentation niches, served as key microbial bridges. Our results provide a vital basis for optimizing ZRV production by strategically managing the environmental microbiome to enhance quality and consistency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":14095,"journal":{"name":"International journal of food microbiology","volume":"447 ","pages":"Article 111554"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145713993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}