Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges

The global market for fresh, ready-to-eat products has grown rapidly, leading to some microbiological safety concerns. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), along with their metabolites, represent a green alternative to chemical preservatives. For this purpose, the cell-free supernatant of LAB strains previou...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Paola Foti, Flora Valeria Romeo, Gloria Sciuto, Maria Concetta Strano, Maria Allegra, Nunziatina Russo, Cinzia Caggia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6736
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849418371308716032
author Paola Foti
Flora Valeria Romeo
Gloria Sciuto
Maria Concetta Strano
Maria Allegra
Nunziatina Russo
Cinzia Caggia
author_facet Paola Foti
Flora Valeria Romeo
Gloria Sciuto
Maria Concetta Strano
Maria Allegra
Nunziatina Russo
Cinzia Caggia
author_sort Paola Foti
collection DOAJ
description The global market for fresh, ready-to-eat products has grown rapidly, leading to some microbiological safety concerns. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), along with their metabolites, represent a green alternative to chemical preservatives. For this purpose, the cell-free supernatant of LAB strains previously isolated from fruits and their potential antibacterial effects against pathogens commonly found in minimally processed fruit were evaluated. Based on the preliminary results, a mix of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) was applied as a postbiotic solution in minimally processed orange slices packed in a passive atmosphere. Different pathogenic strains were intentionally inoculated to evaluate their antimicrobial effect, and their trend was monitored. Microbiological and physico-chemical analyses were carried out at different times (3, 8, and 10 days) during cold storage. The CFSs obtained from <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i> strains highlighted an antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in both in vitro and in vivo tests, showing a reduction of 1 Log CFU/mL for <i>E. coli</i> and the disappearance of vital <i>S. aureus</i>. In conclusion, the CFSs can be proposed as an eco-friendly biopreservative for orange slices with a clean label, although their stability needs to be evaluated and their limits of application need to be ruled by specific legislation.
format Article
id doaj-art-871dd7acd5aa4f6193bb8478aec9fe25
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-871dd7acd5aa4f6193bb8478aec9fe252025-08-20T03:32:27ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-06-011512673610.3390/app15126736Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed OrangesPaola Foti0Flora Valeria Romeo1Gloria Sciuto2Maria Concetta Strano3Maria Allegra4Nunziatina Russo5Cinzia Caggia6Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, ItalyConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyThe global market for fresh, ready-to-eat products has grown rapidly, leading to some microbiological safety concerns. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), along with their metabolites, represent a green alternative to chemical preservatives. For this purpose, the cell-free supernatant of LAB strains previously isolated from fruits and their potential antibacterial effects against pathogens commonly found in minimally processed fruit were evaluated. Based on the preliminary results, a mix of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) was applied as a postbiotic solution in minimally processed orange slices packed in a passive atmosphere. Different pathogenic strains were intentionally inoculated to evaluate their antimicrobial effect, and their trend was monitored. Microbiological and physico-chemical analyses were carried out at different times (3, 8, and 10 days) during cold storage. The CFSs obtained from <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i> strains highlighted an antibacterial activity against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in both in vitro and in vivo tests, showing a reduction of 1 Log CFU/mL for <i>E. coli</i> and the disappearance of vital <i>S. aureus</i>. In conclusion, the CFSs can be proposed as an eco-friendly biopreservative for orange slices with a clean label, although their stability needs to be evaluated and their limits of application need to be ruled by specific legislation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6736cell-free supernatantcitruslactic acid bacteria<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i><i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i>ready-to-eat fresh fruits
spellingShingle Paola Foti
Flora Valeria Romeo
Gloria Sciuto
Maria Concetta Strano
Maria Allegra
Nunziatina Russo
Cinzia Caggia
Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
Applied Sciences
cell-free supernatant
citrus
lactic acid bacteria
<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i>
<i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i>
ready-to-eat fresh fruits
title Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
title_full Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
title_fullStr Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
title_full_unstemmed Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
title_short Postbiotic Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains in Functional Minimally Processed Oranges
title_sort postbiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria strains in functional minimally processed oranges
topic cell-free supernatant
citrus
lactic acid bacteria
<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i>
<i>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</i>
ready-to-eat fresh fruits
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6736
work_keys_str_mv AT paolafoti postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT floravaleriaromeo postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT gloriasciuto postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT mariaconcettastrano postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT mariaallegra postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT nunziatinarusso postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges
AT cinziacaggia postbioticpotentialoflacticacidbacteriastrainsinfunctionalminimallyprocessedoranges