Abstract

Present in all European diets, fermented foods (FF) hold a strategic place due to the benefits they offer in terms of nutrition, sustainability, innovation, cultural heritage and consumer interest. The potential of FF for improving human health but also driving food innovation and local production in the next decades has become highly relevant. The challenge is therefore to federate the scientific community and other key stakeholders working on FF. We want to collectively advance scientific evidence of their health benefits, building a benefits/risk approach in order to promote multi-modal innovation and respond to the expectations of different European communities.The long-term goal of PIMENTO is to place Europe at the spearhead of innovation on microbial foods, promoting health, regional diversity, local production at different scales, contributing to economical and societal development as well as food sovereignty. To respond to this challenge, the scientific and nonscientific community need to join forces and co-construct a multi-stakeholder vision and dynamic in the field of FF. A COST Action is the best means of building this network and enabling this long-term vision to become reality. The wide variety of stakeholders engaged will enable PIMENTO: i) to tightly connect and clarify scientific knowledge on health aspects of FF ii) to tackle technical, societal and legislative bottlenecks behind FFbased innovations iii) to contribute to the establishment of long-term scientific workplaces iv) to disseminate widely define scientific knowledge on FF and define strategic roadmap for future joint research.

Coordination for vetmeduni

Friederike Hilbert

Abstract

With meat consumption of 60.5 kg per person and year, Austria is one of the countries in Europe and worldwide with the highest per capita consumption of meat. The production of meat requires enormous amounts of resources. Thus, any loss of meat could result in a high economic loss with a negative impact on the environment. Spoilage of meat is mostly caused by microbial contamination. Meat can be exposed to this risk at all stages of the production chain, starting with slaughtering through cutting, processing, packaging, storage, transport and retail to the consumer. Meat spoilage caused by obligate mesophilic aerobic germs can be slowed down by measures such as vacuum packaging and storage at chilled temperature. However, under these conditions the hitherto little-known cold-tolerant (psychrotolerant) obligate anaerobes, such as certain Clostridium spp. can keep growing. According to this selective advantage, these niche germs play an important role as causative agents of meat spoilage in the meantime.Cold-tolerant Clostridium spp. (e.g., C. estertheticum, C. frigoriphilum, C. algidicarnis, and C. gasigenes) have only recently become known as spoilage microorganisms of vacuum-packed fresh meat. They are found in permafrost soils and are distributed in all soils of temperate and subtropical climates. Sources of contamination for meat are the faeces and skins of slaughtered animals. Similar to spores of mesophilic spore formers (e.g., C. perfringens, C. botulinum and Bacillus cereus), spores of cold-tolerant clostridia are also resistant to environmental influences and disinfectants. The spoilage of vacuum-packed meat caused by cold-tolerant clostridia can be partially recognized by the bloating of the package, the so-called "Blown Pack Spoilage" (BPS) that is caused by CO2 and H2 formation. The pressure in the package results in an extensive loss of meat drip. The problem described has been reported in many countries, particularly those with high meat production and/or consumption such as Brazil, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. According to our own studies, 34 – 53% of vacuum-packed meat in Germany is contaminated with cold-tolerant clostridia. In Austria there is no data on the occurrence of cold-tolerant clostridia in animal stocks, slaughterhouses, meat processing plants and in vacuum-packed meat and meat products in retail. Apart from the role as a spoilage agent in vacuum-packed fresh meat, the pathogenicity of the cold-tolerant clostridia and their potential as a spoilage agent in heat treated meat have not been investigated. The objectives of the proposed project are therefore: 1. To determine the prevalence of cold-tolerant clostridia in cattle herds in Austria. 2. To investigate the pathogenicity potential of cold-tolerant clostridia in the intestinal cell/organoid culture model. 3. To characterize the spoilage of sous-vide meat caused by cold-tolerant clostridia, and 4. To establish fast and effective detection methods for cold-tolerant clostridia in food to avoid spoilage of meat and meat products caused by these bacteria.

Project leader

Samart Dorn-In

Abstract

The production of meat requires enormous amounts of resources. Thus, any loss of meat could result in a high economic losses with a negative impact on the environment. Spoilage of meat is mostly caused by microbial contamination. Meat can be exposed to this risk at all stages of the production chain, starting with slaughtering through cutting, processing, packaging, storage, transport and retail to the consumer. Meat spoilage caused by obligate mesophilic aerobic germs can be slowed down by measures such as vacuum packaging and storage at chilled temperature. However, under these conditions the hitherto little-known cold-tolerant (psychrotolerant) obligate anaerobes, such as certain Clostridium spp. can keep growing. According to this selective advantage, these niche germs play an important role as causative agents of meat spoilage in the meantime.The spoilage of vacuum-packed meat caused by cold-tolerant clostridia can be recognized by inflated packs, the so-called "blown pack spoilage, BPS" that results from the formation of CO2 and H2. The pressure in the packaging results in significant meat drip loss. The occurrence of psychrotolerant clostridia and BPS has been described in many countries, particularly in those with high meat production and/or consumption, such as Brazil, Ireland New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. According to our previous study, approximately 53 % of the vacuum-packed beef produced and retailed in Germany are considered to be contaminated with cold-tolerant clostridia (Mang et al., 2021).In Austria, there are currently no studies available on the spoilage of meat caused by cold-tolerant clostridia. Therefore, the aim of the proposed project is to collect data on the occurrence of cold-tolerant clostridia in the meat (beef) production chain (slaughterhouses, cutting and meat processing plants, as well as in vacuum-packed meat at retail). Since there is still no knowledge about the pathogenicity of these spoilage bacteria, the clostridial isolates will additionally be investigated for their potential for toxin production in order to assess the health risk for the consumer for the first time. Moreover, resistance of spores against cleaning and disinfection agents approved for the food production area will be tested. Based on these findings, suitable action plans and cleaning protocols at the critical sites can be developed to reduce/eliminate the risk of contamination.

Project leader

Samart Dorn-In

Abstract

Oregano and cumin are analyzed for their pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) and tropane alkaloid (TA) content by means of LC-MS/AS analysis and newly developed DNA analyses. The project intends to contribute significantly to the following research questions: How high is the current contamination of oregano and cumin with toxic PA and TA? Are the proven TA contents of toxicological relevance in these two spices? Which plant genera/species are primarily responsible for potential PA contamination in oregano and cumin? The results will contribute to a more reliable assessment of the health risks of PA and TA in oregano and cumin in the future. The expected findings are of particular importance regarding contaminating PA plant genera and species. This will allow producers to derive recommendations, which will lead to improved weed management at the producer site and thus lower PA levels in the products in the medium and long term.

Coordination for vetmeduni

Karin Schwaiger

Sub-Project leader

Samart Dorn-In

Abstract

Food-borne infections caused by Vibrio spp., in particular by the species V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus, are still rare, but they increase especially during the warm season, since human-pathogenic Vibrio spp. prefer high water temperatures and low salinity. Circular economies, such as aquaponics, are becoming increasingly important in times of global resource conservation. The efficiency of aquaculture is increasing and in Austria there has been a steady expansion for several years. However, data on the occurrence of Vibrio spp., their virulence properties and antibiotic resistance from aquaculture are missing. In this project, fish and seafood from aquaculture will be tested for the occurrence of Vibrio spp.. The food samples will be collected in the warm season and in winter. The isolates will be characterized with regard to species, virulence properties and antibiotic resistance using cultural and molecular biological methods. Furthermore, the whole genome of selected isolates will be sequenced and analysed. A risk assessment will be carried out with regard to aquaculture products for food-borne Vibrio infections in Austria.

Project leader

Friederike Hilbert

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