The demand for plant-based foods has favoured the development of cheese alternatives obtained through nut fermentation with Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), where the challenge of ensuring safety and quality relies on selected microbial consortia. The project COCONUT aims to exploit the microbial diversity of traditional fermentations for tailored processes on plant-based matrices. About 100 food-deriving LAB strains from the collections of the Universities of Parma and Bologna were studied for their genetic diversity (through Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism), safety features (antibiotic resistance and amino-biogenic potental) and antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. In addition, metabolic profiling using Biolog GENIII MicroPlates was performed, highlighting distinct substrate utilization patterns. After this screening, some strains were chosen as potential starter cultures for cashew nut fermentation, evaluating their growth and acidifying performances. Six strains belonging to different species (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei) were tested alone or in combinations. Nuts were heat-treated in water (75°C for 15 min), soaked for two hour and grinded to obtain a spreadable cream, that was inoculated with LAB (concentration approx. 7 log CFU/g) and fermented at 30°C overnight. The effect of increasing glucose concentrations to boost fermentation was also considered. The results showed that the strains were able to grow up to 9 log CFU/g but, in some cases, the pH did not reach 4.4, considered a safe threshold for this kind of RTE product. Better performances can be obtained by combining different strains in tailored microbial consortia, with an enrichment in the aroma profile. This research generated important knowledge in the innovative plant-based foods development, exploiting microbial diversity from traditional fermented products. Financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU through the Italian Ministry of University and Research under PNRR - Mission 4 Component 2, Investment 1.1 "miCrObial COnsortia for New plant-based fermented prodUcTs-COCONUT" (CUP: D53D23022040001).
Gardini, F., Levante, A., Barbieri, F., Nicolini, I., Filippini, M., Montanari, C., et al. (2025). Study and selection of lactic acid bacteria for nut-based fermented products.
Study and selection of lactic acid bacteria for nut-based fermented products
Gardini F.;Barbieri F.;Filippini M.;Montanari C.;Tabanelli G.
2025
Abstract
The demand for plant-based foods has favoured the development of cheese alternatives obtained through nut fermentation with Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), where the challenge of ensuring safety and quality relies on selected microbial consortia. The project COCONUT aims to exploit the microbial diversity of traditional fermentations for tailored processes on plant-based matrices. About 100 food-deriving LAB strains from the collections of the Universities of Parma and Bologna were studied for their genetic diversity (through Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism), safety features (antibiotic resistance and amino-biogenic potental) and antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. In addition, metabolic profiling using Biolog GENIII MicroPlates was performed, highlighting distinct substrate utilization patterns. After this screening, some strains were chosen as potential starter cultures for cashew nut fermentation, evaluating their growth and acidifying performances. Six strains belonging to different species (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei) were tested alone or in combinations. Nuts were heat-treated in water (75°C for 15 min), soaked for two hour and grinded to obtain a spreadable cream, that was inoculated with LAB (concentration approx. 7 log CFU/g) and fermented at 30°C overnight. The effect of increasing glucose concentrations to boost fermentation was also considered. The results showed that the strains were able to grow up to 9 log CFU/g but, in some cases, the pH did not reach 4.4, considered a safe threshold for this kind of RTE product. Better performances can be obtained by combining different strains in tailored microbial consortia, with an enrichment in the aroma profile. This research generated important knowledge in the innovative plant-based foods development, exploiting microbial diversity from traditional fermented products. Financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU through the Italian Ministry of University and Research under PNRR - Mission 4 Component 2, Investment 1.1 "miCrObial COnsortia for New plant-based fermented prodUcTs-COCONUT" (CUP: D53D23022040001).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
