Healthy and pro-inflammatory gut ecology plays a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of a novel Gluten Friendly™ bread in celiac subjects: a randomized, double blind, placebo control in vivo study.

Gluten Friendly™ (GF) is a new gluten achieved through a physicochemical process applied to wheat kernels. The goal of this research was to assess the in vivo effects of Gluten Friendly™ bread on celiac gut mucosa and microbiota. In a double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study, 48 celiac disease (CD) patients were randomized into 3 groups to eat 100 g of bread daily, containing different doses (0; 3 g; 6 g) of GF for 12 weeks. The small-bowel morphology (VH/CrD), intraepithelial densities of CD3+, celiac serology, MUC2, CB1, gut permeability, proinflammatory cytokines, gluten in stools, symptoms, and gut microbial composition were assessed. All 48 CD subjects experienced no symptoms. K-means analysis evidenced celiac subjects clustering around unknown parameters independent of GF dosage: K1 35%; K2 30%; K3 35%. VH/CrD significantly decreased in K1 and K2. VH/CrD did not correlate with IEL increase in K2. 33-mer was not detected in 47% and 73% of patients in both K1 and K2, respectively. VH/CrD and IEL did not change significantly and strongly correlated with the absence of 33-mer in K3. Inflammation and VH/CrD decrease are strongly related with the presence of proinflammatory species at the baseline. A boost in probiotic, butyrate-producing genera, is strongly related with GF tolerance at the end of the trial. Our research suggests that a healthy and proinflammatory ecology could play a crucial role in the digestion and tolerance of the new gluten molecule in celiac subjects. However, GF can be completely digested by gut microbiota of CD subjects and shapes it toward gut homeostasis by boosting healthy butyrate-producing populations. The clinical trial registry number is NCT03137862 (https://clinicaltrials.gov).

Removal Ability and Resistance to Cinnamic and Vanillic Acids by Fungi.

Twelve fungal strains were assayed to investigate their resistance to cinnamic and vanillic acids and their ability to remove these compounds from a liquid medium. In a first step, the effect of the two aromatic acids (1 g/L) on the fungal growth kinetic was studied. The results were modelled through a logistic like function (Dantigny equation) to estimate τ, which is the time to the half-maximum colony diameter. The key findings of this part were as follows: (i) generally, cinnamic acid exerted a stronger effect than vanillic acid; (ii) aromatic acids exerted a delay on the growth of some fungi and only one strain (Athelia rolfsii) was completely inhibited. In the second part, fungi were assayed to investigate their ability to remove cinnamic and vanillic acids (ca. 350 mg/kg) from liquid media at pH 3.5. The results indicated that the most efficient fungi were Aspergillus niger and Lasiodiplodia theobromae.

A Comparative Study on Trichoderma harzianum and a Combination of Candida/Bacillus as Tools for the Bioremediation of Table Olive Processing Water.

A comparative study was performed on Trichoderma harzianum and a combination of Candida boidinii/Bacillus pumilus to reduce the polluting effect of TOPW (Table Olive Processing Water) from the Spanish style. A 2k fractional design was used to study the effect of pH (6-11 for the fungus and 6-9 for Candida/Bacillus), temperature (10-35 °C) and duration (7-14 days for Candida/Bacillus and 14-21 days for T. harzianum), and the effect on phenol reduction, COD and color was evaluated. The experiments were also performed on diluted TOPW (dilution ratio 1:1). Generally, Trichoderma removed higher amounts of phenols and reduced COD more than the combination Candida/Bacillus, thus confirming the higher efficiency of filamentous fungi reported in the literature. The dilution of TOPW had an effect only on COD reduction; however, the effect was mild, at least for T. harzianum (4%), while yield increase was 9% for Bacillus/Candida. pH acted in a different way on phenol removal and COD reduction; an increase of pH caused a reduction of efficiency for COD, while the effect was positive for phenols.

Antifungal and Antibacterial Effect of Propolis: A Comparative Hit for Food-Borne Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae and Fungi.

Propolis is a natural brownish resinous substance collected by honeybees (Apis mellifera), with a documented bioactivity against many microorganisms. In this study, the activity of propolis was investigated using some strains of Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Lactobacillus plantarum, yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Debaryomyces hansenii) and Fusarium oxysporum. Two approaches were used (a modified microdilution protocol and viable count), and the microorganisms were inoculated at two levels (low or high inoculum). The antimicrobial effect of propolis relies upon several factors, like the kind of microorganisms (for example S. cerevisiae was more resistant than D. hansenii, while Lactobacillus plantarum was never affected), the cell concentration (at high inoculum higher amounts of propolis were required for an antimicrobial action), and the mode of action (a delay of growth rather than a complete inhibition). The results of this paper point out, for the first time, the antimicrobial activity of propolis against some spoilers, with a focus on the possible effect; thus, they could be the background to designing an effective tool to prolong the shelf life of foods.

Industrial Validation of a Promising Functional Strain of Lactobacillus plantarum to Improve the Quality of Italian Sausages.

This paper proposes the industrial validation of a functional strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (strain 178). First, acidification in a meat model medium and bioactivity towards Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli were assessed; the performances of Lb. plantarum 178 were compared to those of a commercial Lb. sakei and a probiotic Lb. casei. Lb. plantarum 178 inhibited the pathogens and experienced a higher acidification at 15 °C. Lb. casei and Lb. plantarum were used for an industrial fermentation of traditional Italian sausages. The strains assured the correct course of fermentation and inhibited pathogens and enterobacteria. This study represents the scaling up and the validation of a promising strain at industrial level and shows the possibility of performing the fermentation of traditional Italian sausage through functional starter cultures, combining the benefit of a controlled fermentation and possible health benefits.