The use of bioprotective cultures

Different groups of microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), coagulasenegative catalase-positive cocci (CNCPC) and moulds, have been used since ancient times in the fermentation and biopreservation of food. The most important advantages of these microorganisms, which are suitable for use in food biotechnology, are that they are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and have many beneficial health effects. In particular, LAB and CNCPC produce a large variety of chemical compounds (e.g., organic acids, ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, bacteriocins, antibiotic-like peptides), which prevent or eliminate microbial contamination and improve the shelf life of various fermented foods. Moulds are traditionally used to improve the quality of sausages. They are spread on the casings to favour ripening and prevent the growth of bad moulds responsible for ochratoxin A (OTA) production. Because of their antimicrobial activity, LAB, CNCPC and moulds have been proposed as bioprotective cultures to combat spoilage and foodborne pathogen microorganisms. In addition, they improve the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of products; consequently, they have traditionally been used as starter cultures for the industrial production of fermented meat worldwide since the previous century. Nutraceutical compounds, such as vitamins, amino acids, and bioactive peptides, produced by LAB are recognized as interesting and important compounds to improve human health. Some LAB strains are recognized probiotics that optimize the intestinal microbiota, produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) with prebiotic activity, increase food digestibility, express antimicrobial and anti-tumour properties, neutralize toxic compounds, and have immunomodulation and cholesterollowering effects. © 2017 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.