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Biopreservation, is a method of food preservation using microorganisms, also called protective cultures, or their natural metabolites. These terms are generally used in opposition to the addition of so-called "chemical" preservatives conventionally used in the food industries. Biopreservation, like any other method of preservation, must make it possible to control the growth of pathogenic or spoilage flora, while preserving the organoleptic and nutritional qualities of the product during its shelf life. Biopreservation is studied in the framework of thematic 1: Understand the bacterial behaviour.

Secalim has participated to this thematic for many years and belongs to RMT FlorePro.

This recognized expertise has enabled Secalim to participate in numerous academic or industrial projects both in the field of meat products and seafood products, which enabled Secalim to participate in ANR BLacHP project on the combination between biopreservation and high hydrostatic pressure, and several European projects especially in the field of seafood, the last one being the ERANET project SAFEFISH DISH. The projects most often aim to extend the shelf-life of products or to screen protective flora, decipther the hinhibitory actions of bioprotective bacteria against undersirable bacteria involved in food poisoning or food spoilage, sometimes based on these mechanisms of cellular communication or quorum sensing. Secalim started working on this subject as part of a scientific bet, COMBACT,  whose objective was to decipher the mechanism of inhibition between a strain of Lactocccus piscium and Listeria moncytogenes. This project is now complete but has paved the way for another project, the QSAIM project, a project carried out in collaboration with UMR INRAE ​​Phan, UR BIA UMR INRAE ​​STLO. This project aims to determine whether self-inducing molecules resulting from bacterial communication or quorum sensing produced by bacteria of food origin, would make it possible to modulate the intestinal microbiota.

Books and book Chapters:

• Les flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments : utilisation, efficacité et interactions dans l’écosystème microbien par Zagorec, M. and S. Christeans, sortie en 2013. Collection Synthèsess Editions Quae Collection Synthèses, ISBN: 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Denis, C., M. Champomier-Vergès, C. Feurer, E. Hamon, F. Leroi, M. F. Pilet, R. Talon, M. Zagorec, G. Daube, C. Delbès, S. Fraud, F. Irlinger, B. Lefur, S. Leroy, T. Achi-Barnouin and S. Christieans 2015. Recommandations du RMT – ACTIA – FLOREPRO pour « l’usage des cultures protectrices » Document rédigé par le consortium FLOREPRO Pilotage : Catherine Denis (ACTALIA).
• Champomier-Vergès, M. C. and M. Zagorec 2015. Lactobacillus sakei in meat fermentation. Biotechnology of Lactic Acid Bacteria: novel applications. F. Mozzi, R. R. Raya and G. M. Vignolo, éds., John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Second Edition. Chapter 13: pp. 209-215
• Christieans, S., C. Delbès-Paus, C. Denis, M.-C. Montel, H. Prévost, M. Rivollier and V. Stahl 2013. Chapitre 2 - Mécanismes d'action. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Denis, C., M. Champomier-Vergès, M. Zagorec, R. Talon and V. Michel 2013. Chapitre 1 - Critères de sélection des micro-organismes bioprotecteurs. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Feurer, C., S. Christieans, M. Rivollier, S. Leroy, R. Talon, M. Champomier-Vergès, M. Zagorec and M. Desmonts 2013. Chapitre 4 - Applications dans la filière des produits carnés. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Le Fur, B., D. Wacogne, S. Lorre, M.-F. Pilet and F. Leroi 2013. Chapitre 5 - Applications dans la filière des produits de la mer. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Spinnler, H.-E., M. Zagorec and S. Christieans 2013. Chapitre 7 - Vers une règlementation appropriée des flores protectrices. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Zagorec, M., M. Champomier-Vergès and S. Christieans 2013. Introduction - La biopréservation et les microorganismes bioprotecteurs. Flores protectrices pour la conservation des aliments M. Zagorec and S. Christieans, éds.,  Versailles, France, Editions Quae: pp., 978-2-7592-1920-9.
• Pilet, M. F. and F. Leroi 2011. Applications of protective cultures, bacteriocins and bacteriophages in fresh seafood and seafood products. Protective cultures, antimicrobial metabolites and bacteriophages for food and beverage biopreservation. C. Lacroix, éd.,  Abington Hall, Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AH, England, Woodhead Publishing: pp., ISBN : 978-1-4398-3397-1.
• Pilet, M.-F. and F. Leroi 2010. Applications of protective cultures, bacteriocins and bacteriophages in fresh seafood and seafood products. Protective cultures, antimicrobial metabolites and bacteriophages for food and beverage biopreservation. C. Lacroix, éd.,  Zurich, Switzerland, Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science and Technology 201: pp., ISBN-13: 978 1 84569 669 6.
• Calvez, S., Y. Belguesmia, G. Kergourlay, H. Prevost and D. Drider 2009. Métabolisme des bactéries lactiques : Les bactériocines, de la synthèse aux applications. Bactéries lactiques : Physiologie, métabolismen génomique et applications industrielles. D. Drider and H. Prevost, éds.,  Paris, Economica: pp. 99-126, ISBN : 978-2-7178-5676-7.
• Pilet, M. F., S. Calvez, A. Brillet and H. Prevost 2009. Applications alimentaires : La biopréservation. Bactéries lactiques : Physiologie, métabolismen génomique et applications industrielles. D. Drider and H. Prevost, éds.,  Paris, Economica: pp. 421-439, ISBN : 978-2-7178-5676-7.
• Rachman, C., M. Guilbaud, E. Jaffres, P. Kabadjova and X. Dousset 2009. Génétique, génomes et transcriptomes : Caractérisation et identification moléculaire des bactéries lactiques. Bactéries lactiques : Physiologie, métabolismen génomique et applications industrielles. D. Drider and H. Prevost, éds.,  Paris, Economica: pp. 273-293 ISBN : 978-2-7178-5676-7.
• Leroi, F., J. J. Joffraud, J. C. Arboleya, F. Amarita, Z. Cruz, E. Izurieta, A. Lasagabster, I. Martínez de Marañón, I. Miranda, M. Nuin, I. Olabarrieta, H. L. Lauzon, G. Lorentzen, I. Bjørkevoll, R. Olsen, M. F. Pilet, H. Prévost, X. Dousset, S. Matamoros and T. Skjerdal 2008. Hurdle technology to ensure the safety of seafood products. Improving seafood products for the consumer. T. Børresen, éd.,  Abington Hall, Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AH, England, Woodhead Publishing Limited: pp. 399-425, ISBN : 1-84569-019-2.
• Matamoros, S., M. F. Pilet, F. Chevalier, H. Prévost and F. Leroi 2006. Isolation and characterisation of psychrophilic lactic acid bacteria isolated from seafood products. Seafood research from fish to dish – Quality, safety and processing of wild and farmed fish. J. B. Luten, C. Jacobsen, K. Bekaert, A. Saebo and J. Oehlenschläger, éds.,  The Netherlands, Wageningen Academic Publishers: pp. 395-402, ISBN : 978-90-8686-005-0.
• Pilet, M. F., A. Brillet, C. Blanchet-Chevrollier, F. Leroi and H. Prévost 2006. Selection of non-tyramine producing Carnobacterium strains for the biopreservation of cold smoked salmon Seafood research from fish to dish – Quality, safety and processing of wild and farmed fish. J. B. Luten, C. Jacobsen, K. Bekaert, A. Saebo and J. Oehlenschläger, éds.,  The Netherlands, Wageningen Academic Publishers: pp. 403-410, ISBN : 978-90-8686-005-0.

PhD theses supervised on this topic:

• Several PhD thesis supervised at Secalim integrated approaches of biopreservation. One of them defended in 2019 aimed to improve the quality and safety of seafood products by hurdle technologies including biopreservation. In 2016, inhibition proterties of Lactococcus piscium against Listeria monocytogenes were studied. In 2014, a PhD thesis dealt with the quantification histaminogenic bacteria and control of histamin production by biopreservation in seafood. In 2012a and b, two PhD theses aimed to study inhibition activities of a lactic acid bacterium against Campylobacter jejuni. Former PhD theses also dealt with biopreservation in 2011, 2008 and 2005. Other theses characterised bacteriocins: 2009 and 2007a, b and 2005.

Contact persons at Secalim:

• Marie-France Pilet, Professor at Secalim

Other persons involved in this field:

• Hervé Prévost, Professor at Secalim
• Raouf Tareb, Assistant-Professor at Secalim

See the list of publications as followed.