Improving food safety by eliminating pathogens in mixed biofilms

• Grant number: 12/50507-1
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Duration: February 01, 2013 - January 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Medicines Analysis and Control
• Cooperation agreement: Innovation Fund Denmark
• Principal researcher: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Grantee: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Principal researcher abroad: Leone Kirsten Gram
• Institution abroad: Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated grant(s): 13/50498-5 - Evaluation of functional aspects of strains of lactobacilli isolated from fermented sausages, AP.R

Abstract

Food safety is of worldwide importance and despite efforts to reduce foodborne illnesses, both well-known and emerging pathogens are frequently involved in disease outbreaks that greatly impact public health and food processors. Brazil and Denmark are important producers and exporters of food commodities and ensuring microbial safety of food is a key challenge to both Brazilian and Danish food processors and scientists. The purpose of this project is to reduce the risk of pathogen contamination during food processing from farm to fork, especially in dairy plants. We will target the natural mixed microbial biofilms harboring bacterial pathogens that can reach foods during processing and thus be transferred to the consumer especially in ready to eat foods. Our rationale is that targeting non-pathogenic microbiota associated with pathogens is a key issue to be able to effectively design cleaning and disinfection procedures since the mixed microbial biofilm protects the pathogen. Also, in our model systems we will use natural food soil to mimic the actual conditions at plant level. We will survey and describe the autochthonous microbiota in at least three dairy processing plants and determine possible correlations with key pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in these environments. We will determine how the natural mixed microbiota and soil influences pathogen reduction during disinfection and we will address the potential influence of the commensals on virulence properties of the pathogens to target high risk niches. We will use a range of both classical and state-of-the art microbiological methods in our work, ranging from agar plating, to PFGE subtyping and genome sequencing. Finally, we will recommend optimised cleaning and disinfection procedures to food processing plants. (AU)

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FRAZILIO, DIEGO ARAUJO; ALMEIDA, OTAVIO GUILHERME GONCALVES DE; OLIVEIRA, CARLOS AUGUSTO FERNANDES DE; LEE, SARAH HWA IN; CORASSIN, CARLOS HUMBERTO; ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS; DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA PEREIRA. Metataxonomics contributes to unravel the microbiota of a Brazilian dairy. JOURNAL OF DAIRY RESEARCH, v. 87, n. 3, p. 360-363, AUG 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

CABRAL CARVALHAES COSTA, ANA CAROLINA; PEREIRA, ALINE NEVES; DE ANDRADE E SILVA, ADRIELLE CRISTINA; DA SILVA, FLAVIO ALVES; RIBEIRO, KEYLA DE OLIVEIRA; SAPATEIRO TORRES, IEDA MARIA; PEREIRA DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA; ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS. Antilisterial and antistaphylococcal activity of a Lactococcus lactis strain isolated from Brazilian fresh Minas cheese. JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, v. 39, n. 1 FEB 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

OXARAN, VIRGINIE; DITTMANN, KAREN KIESBYE; LEE, SARAH H. I.; CHAUL, LUIZA TOUBAS; FERNANDES DE OLIVEIRA, CARLOS AUGUSTO; CORASSIN, CARLOS HUMBERTO; ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS; PEREIRA DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA; GRAM, LONE. Behavior of Foodborne Pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in Mixed-Species Biofilms Exposed to Biocides. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v. 84, n. 24 DEC 2018. Web of Science Citations: 3.

ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS; NINO-ARIAS, FABIAN CAMILO; PITONDO-SILVA, ANDRE; FRAZILIO, DIEGO DE ARAUJO; GONCALVES, LARISSA DE OLIVEIRA; TOUBAS, LUIZA CHAUL; SAPATEIRO TORRES, IEDA MARIA; OXARAN, VIRGINIE; DITTMANN, KAREN KIESBYE; PEREIRA DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA. Molecular characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus from some artisanal Brazilian dairies. INTERNATIONAL DAIRY JOURNAL, v. 85, p. 247-253, OCT 2018. Web of Science Citations: 2.

OXARAN, VIRGINIE; IN LEE, SARAH HWA; CHAUL, LUIZA TOUBAS; CORASSIN, CARLOS HUMBERTO; BARANCELLI, GIOVANA VERGINIA; ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS; FERNANDES DE OLIVEIRA, CARLOS AUGUSTO; GRAM, LONE; PEREIRA DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA. Listeria monocytogenes incidence changes and diversity in some Brazilian dairy industries and retail products. FOOD MICROBIOLOGY, v. 68, p. 16-23, DEC 2017. Web of Science Citations: 14.

DITTMANN, KAREN K.; CHAUL, LUIZA T.; LEE, SARAH H. I.; CORASSIN, CARLOS H.; FERNANDES DE OLIVEIRA, CARLOS A.; PEREIRA DE MARTINIS, ELAINE C.; ALVES, VIRGINIA F.; GRAM, LONE; OXARAN, VIRGINIE. Staphylococcus aureus in Some Brazilian Dairy Industries: Changes of Contamination and Diversity. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 8, OCT 24 2017. Web of Science Citations: 10.