[Research] Bacterial Warfare: How to prevent the invasion of food-borne pathogens in cheese?

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Author: Ashley Introduction: Cheese is loved by many people.
It is a simple product, but it is susceptible to food-borne pathogens
.

A recent study found that protective cultures can fight pathogens and prevent them from causing disease by blocking their ability to infect people at several key points
.

This study is one of the first peer-reviewed studies and provides cheese producers with definitive evidence on how these cultures work
.

Cheese is a simple product
.

It usually consists only of milk, enzymes, salt and bacteria, giving cheese its form and flavor
.

But this simplicity, without the preservatives found in other foods, makes it susceptible to pathogens
.

Dennis D'Amico, associate professor of dairy products at the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, said: "This is a huge risk, because if there are pathogenic bacteria in the raw milk, you use that milk to make cheese, they can multiply, and it will cause disease
.

"Federal regulations stipulate that cheese producers cannot use additives found in cooked foods and other foods to offset this danger
.

However, one thing they can do is bacterial culture
.

In the cheese production process, cheese manufacturers use starter bacterial cultures to turn milk into cheese
.

In a study recently published in the Food Research International publication entitled "Probiotic potential of commercial dairy-associated protective cultures: In vitro and in vivo protection against Listeria monocytogenes infection", D'Amico discovered that other bacterial cultures were Called protective cultures, they can fight pathogens and prevent them from causing disease by blocking their ability to infect people at several key points
.

In previous research, D'Amico screened protective cultures to determine which might be effective against common pathogens such as Listeria, E.
coli, or Salmonella
.

His laboratory also screened to determine whether these protective cultures would interfere with the starter
.

This study is one of the first peer-reviewed studies and provides cheese producers with definitive evidence on how these cultures work
.

Through this work, D'Amico identified three commercially available protective cultures, which are most likely to be effective against Listeria monocytogenes
.

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that causes listeriosis
.

Listeriosis can have life-threatening effects on high-risk groups, such as those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women
.

The pathogen has a mortality rate of 20-30%, making it a major public health problem
.

Choosing from commercially available strains is an important consideration, otherwise it would be difficult (if possible) for cheesemakers to incorporate D'Amico's research results into their processes
.

D'Amico uses a culture of Lactococcus lactis (LLN) and two different cultures of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP and LPP)
.

A previous study conducted by D'Amico showed that the use of high-concentration protective cultures can effectively kill pathogens
.

In this study, D'Amico used a concentration of pathogens that was significantly higher than a person's normal consumption to allow the pathogens to survive long enough to study the infection process
.

Bacteria will change their behavior in the presence of other similar bacteria and produce antibacterial metabolites
.

When pathogenic bacteria detect the presence of these cultures and their metabolites, they enter a "fight or flight" mode
.

Pathogens shift their focus to express genes that are important for the survival of competitors and shut down many non-essential functions that make them disease-causing
.

D'Amico said: "From an evolutionary perspective, these are their competitors, and usually the effects (of protective cultures) are limited to a certain group of pathogens
.

" In order to get sick from eating something contaminated with Listeria, Pathogens need to survive in an unsuitable gastrointestinal environment
.

Then, it needs to attach to colon cells
.

Finally, it needs to enter those cells and pass through the lining epithelial cells
.

Interrupting any of these steps will help prevent disease, even if the pathogen does not die
.

D'Amico found that protective cultures can effectively stop Listeria at key points in the infection process
.

Both Lactobacillus plantarum cultures disrupted the ability of Listeria to survive in the gastrointestinal tract
.

Although it has no significant effect on the ability of pathogens to adhere to cells
.

However, LLN and LPP significantly reduced the ability of pathogens to invade colon cells.
All three cultures disrupted transepithelial translocation, and pathogens moved across the epithelial barrier by moving between cells
.

In a Food Research International publication, D'Amico established other potential benefits of adding these cultures
.

 In theory, if someone regularly consumes a product with these protective cultures, if they encounter a Listeria infection in another food, they will become part of their gut microbiome and provide probiotic protection
.

Now, D'Amico is working hard to help producers determine how to ensure that protective cultures perform effectively in practice
.

D'Amico said: "The producers are trying their best to make safe products, but they are bound by such solutions
.

" Reference: https://phys.
org/news/2021-12-bacterial-cultures-food- borne-pathogens-cheese.
html Note: This article aims to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference for treatment options
.

If you need health guidance, please go to a regular hospital for treatment
.

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