The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis
The comprehensive analysis of microbial communities reveals the unique microbial identity of different olive varieties, paving the way for new strategies in their development and commercial exploitation. In this context, the present study aimed to explore the microbial diversity and functional chara...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2568 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849770741223915520 |
|---|---|
| author | Marina Georgalaki Ilario Ferrocino Davide Buzzanca Rania Anastasiou Georgia Zoumpopoulou Despoina Giabasakou Danai Ziova Alexandra Kokkali George Paraskevakos Effie Tsakalidou |
| author_facet | Marina Georgalaki Ilario Ferrocino Davide Buzzanca Rania Anastasiou Georgia Zoumpopoulou Despoina Giabasakou Danai Ziova Alexandra Kokkali George Paraskevakos Effie Tsakalidou |
| author_sort | Marina Georgalaki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The comprehensive analysis of microbial communities reveals the unique microbial identity of different olive varieties, paving the way for new strategies in their development and commercial exploitation. In this context, the present study aimed to explore the microbial diversity and functional characteristics of Tsounati variety olives from the Monemvasia region of Peloponnese, Greece, that were naturally fermented for three months. The bacterial and fungal microbiota of both olives and brines were fingerprinted throughout the fermentation through classical microbiological analysis combined with molecular techniques. Among the 148 isolated bacteria, 85 were lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and 63 belonged to the <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> family, while the 178 fungal isolates comprised 136 yeasts and 42 non-yeast or yeast-like fungi. Metataxonomic analysis confirmed the dominance of the bacterial genera <i>Lactiplantibacillus</i>, <i>Leuconostoc</i>, along with the <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> family, and it revealed the presence of <i>Coleofasciculaceae</i> cyanobacteria mostly in olives. The dominant fungal genera were yeasts, namely <i>Saccharomyces</i>, <i>Nakazawaea</i>, and <i>Cyberlindnera</i>. Using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay, the average total polyphenol content of Tsounati fermented olive samples was 761.80 ± 128.87 mg gallic acid equivalents kg<sup>−1</sup> after 90 days of fermentation. The concentrations of the triterpenic, maslinic, and oleanolic acids, as determined by HPLC, remained stable throughout fermentation, with average values of 4764 and 1807 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Finally, sensory analysis revealed the rich aromatic character of Tsounati variety, highlighting its potential to be used for Greek-style table olive production. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d0eb24fcec3e45dfb4c4a5f2d92d7769 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-d0eb24fcec3e45dfb4c4a5f2d92d77692025-08-20T03:02:55ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011415256810.3390/foods14152568The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome AnalysisMarina Georgalaki0Ilario Ferrocino1Davide Buzzanca2Rania Anastasiou3Georgia Zoumpopoulou4Despoina Giabasakou5Danai Ziova6Alexandra Kokkali7George Paraskevakos8Effie Tsakalidou9Laboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceDepartment of Agricultural, Forest, and Food Science, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, 10095 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest, and Food Science, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, 10095 Torino, ItalyLaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceInternational Probiotics Association, Los Angeles, CA 90035, USALaboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceThe comprehensive analysis of microbial communities reveals the unique microbial identity of different olive varieties, paving the way for new strategies in their development and commercial exploitation. In this context, the present study aimed to explore the microbial diversity and functional characteristics of Tsounati variety olives from the Monemvasia region of Peloponnese, Greece, that were naturally fermented for three months. The bacterial and fungal microbiota of both olives and brines were fingerprinted throughout the fermentation through classical microbiological analysis combined with molecular techniques. Among the 148 isolated bacteria, 85 were lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and 63 belonged to the <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> family, while the 178 fungal isolates comprised 136 yeasts and 42 non-yeast or yeast-like fungi. Metataxonomic analysis confirmed the dominance of the bacterial genera <i>Lactiplantibacillus</i>, <i>Leuconostoc</i>, along with the <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> family, and it revealed the presence of <i>Coleofasciculaceae</i> cyanobacteria mostly in olives. The dominant fungal genera were yeasts, namely <i>Saccharomyces</i>, <i>Nakazawaea</i>, and <i>Cyberlindnera</i>. Using the Folin–Ciocalteu assay, the average total polyphenol content of Tsounati fermented olive samples was 761.80 ± 128.87 mg gallic acid equivalents kg<sup>−1</sup> after 90 days of fermentation. The concentrations of the triterpenic, maslinic, and oleanolic acids, as determined by HPLC, remained stable throughout fermentation, with average values of 4764 and 1807 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Finally, sensory analysis revealed the rich aromatic character of Tsounati variety, highlighting its potential to be used for Greek-style table olive production.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2568TsounatiMastoidisAthinoliaGreek-style table olivesmicrobiological analysismetataxonomic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Marina Georgalaki Ilario Ferrocino Davide Buzzanca Rania Anastasiou Georgia Zoumpopoulou Despoina Giabasakou Danai Ziova Alexandra Kokkali George Paraskevakos Effie Tsakalidou The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis Foods Tsounati Mastoidis Athinolia Greek-style table olives microbiological analysis metataxonomic analysis |
| title | The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis |
| title_full | The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis |
| title_fullStr | The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis |
| title_short | The Natural Fermentation of Greek Tsounati Olives: Microbiome Analysis |
| title_sort | natural fermentation of greek tsounati olives microbiome analysis |
| topic | Tsounati Mastoidis Athinolia Greek-style table olives microbiological analysis metataxonomic analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2568 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marinageorgalaki thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT ilarioferrocino thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT davidebuzzanca thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT raniaanastasiou thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT georgiazoumpopoulou thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT despoinagiabasakou thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT danaiziova thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT alexandrakokkali thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT georgeparaskevakos thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT effietsakalidou thenaturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT marinageorgalaki naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT ilarioferrocino naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT davidebuzzanca naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT raniaanastasiou naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT georgiazoumpopoulou naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT despoinagiabasakou naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT danaiziova naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT alexandrakokkali naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT georgeparaskevakos naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis AT effietsakalidou naturalfermentationofgreektsounatiolivesmicrobiomeanalysis |