Bacterial interactions, bacterial communications & bioprotection

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. 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. This is notably the objective of the Sen_BicPha project, which aims to improve the sanitary quality of traditional Senegalese fermented products, guedj and yeet. The Algo-Transfert project aims to use an innovative algae dehydration process to preserve trout. The Solmic-Fish project aims to evaluate the persistence of microbial biopreservation solutions used in livestock farming via feed to combat pathogens and their impact on zootechnical factors throughout the farming process, as well as the food safety of the finished product with regard to pathogenic flora such as Listeria monocytogenes. 

Bacterial interactions are sometimes based on these mechanisms of cellular communication or quorum sensing, like those studied within the project LAC-T7,  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.

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.

Books and book Chapters:

• La conservation des aliments. Vers plus de durabilité et de naturalité par Kondjoyan, A., C. Renard, P. Dole, L. Fournaison, H.-L. Hong-Minh, Y. Le Loir, C. Pénicaud, M. Zagorec and F. Zuber, sortie en 2025. Éditions Quae Versailles, 9782759240777
• 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

Contact persons at Secalim:

• Marie-France Pilet, Professor at Secalim
• Raouf Tareb, Assistant-Professor at Secalim

Other persons involved in this field:

• Boris Misery, assistant-professor at Secalim

See the list of publications as followed.