, Tetragenococcus halophilus, Clostridiisalibacter spp. and Porphyromonadaceae. Psychrobacter celer, Ruminococcaceae, Marinilactibacillus psychrotolerans, Streptococcus infantis and Salinivibrio costicola were detected as minor OTUs. GC-MS analysis of volatile components revealed the massive presence of trimethylamine and sulphur compounds. Moreover, 1,2,4-trithiolane, phenols, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters and long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons were also detected. The data obtained allowed pro-technological bacteria, which are well-adapted to saline environments, to be discovered for the first time. Further analyses are needed to better clarify the extent of the contribution of either the microbiota or autolytic enzymes of the fish flesh in the aroma definition.Staphylococcus aureus is the causative agent of staphylococcal food poisoning and is a common contaminant in milk. Despite efforts to control S. aureus, recalls and outbreaks continue to occur, highlighting the need for additional interventions. This study determined the potential for protective cultures (PC) that are commercially available to producers to control S. aureus growth in raw milk and attenuate virulence by impeding staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) production in raw milk and laboratory medium. Cultures of Hafnia alvei and Lactococcus lactis effectively inhibited S. aureus growth in raw milk to counts ~5 log CFU/mL lower than control when cocultured following a cheesemaking time and temperature profile; two cultures of Lactobacillus plantarum inhibited growth to ~1.5 log CFU/mL less than control. Cocultures of S. aureus with Lc. lactis, H. alvei and Lb. plantarum in raw milk reduced SE levels by 24.9%, 62.4%, and 76%, respectively. Lc. lactis also decreased SE production in raw milk in the absence of PC-mediated growth inhibition. Significant reductions in SE production in the absence of pathogen growth inhibition were also achieved in laboratory medium. Together, these results demonstrate the potential for PCs to inhibit S. aureus growth and impede SE production in the absence of growth inhibition.The aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence of MRSA in buffalo dairy farms and in buffalo tank milk from Italy, and to provide information about the antimicrobial resistance profile and molecular characteristics of the isolates. We collected 75 bulk tank milk (BTM) samples from 75 farms and 24 nasal swabs from 24 farm operators. Three (4%) of the 75 BTM samples and 1 (4%) of the 24 human nasal swabs tested positive for MRSA. The milk isolates belonged to the genotypes ST1/t127/Va and ST72/t3092/V, while the human isolate was characterized as ST1/t127/IVa. All isolates were multidrug resistant but vancomycin susceptible; they carried the icaA gene but tested negative for the pvl and ses genes. ST72 is a CA-MRSA commonly found in South Korea, and this is the first report of its detection in Europe. Although we found a low prevalence of MRSA in the farms we surveyed, this study clearly demonstrates, for the first time in Europe, that MRSA can be found in dairy buffalo farms and in raw buffalo milk. Therefore, the risk of human colonization/infection with MRSA linked to the handling of raw milk or consumption of contaminated dairy products should not be ruled out.Myxobacteria have excellent biocontrol activity against various phytopathogens due to their rich spectrum of secondary metabolites and active predatory characteristics. In this study, the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) was found to be significantly inhibited by volatile compounds (VOCs) produced by Corallococcus sp. EGB. A total of 32 compounds were identified among the VOCs produced by strain EGB, of which isooctanol exhibited the highest antifungal activity, with dosages of 3.75 and 4.0 μL/plate being sufficient to suppress FOC and Penicillum digitatum, respectively. Isooctanol was found to damage the cell wall and cell membranes of FOC and P. digitatum. Apoptosis-like cell death of FOC and P. digitatum induced by isooctanol was observed subsequently due to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The transcription level of genes related to cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway and redox reactions were significantly upregulated by 15- to 40-fold, indicating the stress caused by isooctanol. Postharvest storage experiments showed that the disease severity of post-harvest oranges infected with P. digitatum could be significantly reduced by isooctanol at 114.2 μL/L.In this work, Lactobacillus pentosus LPG1, Lactobacillus pentosus Lp13, Lactobacillus plantarum Lpl15, and Wickerhanomyces anomalous Y12, all of them previously isolated from fermented table olive biofilms, were used (alone or in combination) as multifunctional starters for Manzanilla Spanish-style green table olive fermentations. Their performances were evaluated through the changes in the key physico-chemical and microbiological parameters, correlation between AI-2 production and biofilm formation, inoculum imposition, metataxonomic analysis and sensory characteristics of the finished products. Inoculation only with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains led to higher titratable acidities and lower pH values than the spontaneous fermentation (non-inoculated control), mainly during the first steps of processing. However, the sequential inoculation of the yeast and then the combination of the 3 LAB strains showed the most favourable evolution. LPG1 strain and, particularly Lp13, were excellent biofilms former andng attractive scores. Then, inoculation of Spanish-style table olive fermentations with a sequential yeast and LAB combination could be an advisable practice.Baijiu (Chinese liquor) is a type of traditional distilled alcoholic beverage produced through spontaneous solid-state fermentation with sorghum as the primary material. Material processing, including sorghum soaking, steaming and cooling which is carried out in an open environment, is an integral part of Baijiu manufacturing. However, the microbiota involved in material pretreatment and its associate with the alcoholic fermentation is unclear. This research is aimed to exploring the diversity and role of microbiota during material pretreatment of light-flavor Baijiu. Results showed that Cyanobacteria, Epicoccum, and Cladosporium predominated in the sorghum at the beginning of soaking. Lactobacillus and Pichia became the predominant bacterial and fungal genera by the end of soaking. With the dynamics of microbiota, the pH declined sharply and the categories and concentration of volatile flavors such as alcohols, esters, acids, phenols, ketones, and aldehydes increased. Correlation analysis indicated that Lactobacillus and Pichia showed positive correlation with various flavors during soaking. Furthermore, SourceTracker analysis revealed that the microbiota involved during cooling processing was an important source of the Lactobacillus during fermentation of light-flavor Baijiu. This study illustrates the role of microbiota during material pretreatment and the association with alcoholic fermentation, which contributes to reveal the mechanism of Baijiu manufacturing.Staphylococcus argenteus is a novel species of coagulase-positive staphylococci which was separated from Staphylococcus aureus in 2014. It can threaten human health like S. aureus but can not identify with conventional biochemical or other phenotypic testing. From 2011 to 2016, 1581 S. aureus strains were isolated from 4300 samples from retail foods covering most provincial capitals in China. According to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and PCR confirmation, 7.2% of isolates (114/1581) were confirmed as S. argenteus. The pathogen was distributed in 22 of 39 sampled cities and all food types. Interestingly, most S. argenteus positive samples were collected from coastal cities in South China. MLST detected 8 different sequence types (STs), including five new STs. CC2250 was the predominant lineage of S. argenteus, followed by CC1223. To further characterize the isolates, their antibiotic resistance, virulence genes, biofilm formation and biofilm-related genes were examined. The pvl gene was not detected in S. argenteus, and only 1 isolate (0.9%) was positive for the tsst-1 gene. For 18 enterotoxin genes, 16.7% (19/114) of isolates harboured more than three genes, whereas 70.2% (80/114) of isolates had none of the investigated genes. Penicillin and ampicillin were the major antibiotics to which the S. argenteus isolates were resistant, followed by tetracycline, kanamycin and fusidic acid. A total of 94.7% of isolates had the ability to produce biofilms and all isolates harboured icaA, fnbA, and fib genes. Other biofilm-related genes, such as eno, clfB, fnbB, and icaC, were also found in 99.1%, 92.1%, 88.6%, and 74.6% of isolates, respectively. This study is the first systematic investigation of the prevalence of S. argenteus in retail foods in China and shows their ubiquity in food. We also provide comprehensive surveillance of the incidence of S. argenteus in retail foods and information to enable more accurate and effective treatment of infections of this new species.Fermented cucumber bloater defect, caused by the accumulation of microbiologically produced carbon dioxide (CO2), creates significant economic losses for the pickling industry. The ability of Leuconostocaceae, indigenous to cucumber, to grow and produce CO2 during a fermentation and cause bloater defect was evaluated. Leuconostocaceae grew and produced over 40% CO2 in cucumber juice medium, used as a model for cucumber fermentation. The inoculation of Leuconostocaceae to 5 Log CFU/g in cucumber fermentations brined with 25 mM calcium chloride and 6 mM potassium sorbate resulted in no significant differences in bloater defect, colony counts from MRS and VRBG agar plates or the fermentation biochemistry; suggesting an inability of the inoculated bacterial species to prevail in the bioconversion. Acidified cucumbers were subjected to a fermentation inoculated with a Leuconostoc lactis starter culture after raising the pH to 5.9 ± 0.4. CO2 was produced in the acidified cucumber fermentations to 13.6 ± 3.5% yielding a bloater index of 21.3 ± 6.4; while 8.6 ± 0.8% CO2 and a bloater index of 5.2 ± 5.9 were observed in the non-inoculated control jars. Together the data collected demonstrate that Leuconostocaceae can produce enough CO2 to contribute to bloater defect, if not outcompeted by the leading lactic acid bacteria in a cucumber fermentation.In this study, thirteen batches of broiler chicken from an integrated Italian poultry company were investigated for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes. The prevalence was evaluated in faeces samples at farm level and after transport, caecal contents and carcass neck skin from 2 slaughterhouses (M1 and M2), for a total of 2080 samples, throughout a 27-month period. No positive results were recorded in faeces, while the overall prevalence of contamination in carcass neck skin was 26.7%. Then, 123 isolates out of 139 positive skin samples, with the prevalent serotypes 4b (76%) and 1/2b (94%) from slaughterhouses M1 and M2 respectively, were PFGE characterized, showing the presence of 18 different pulsotypes and 8 genetic clusters. The same pulsotypes were found in carcasses from different farms, but slaughtered in the same abattoir, highlighting the environmental origin of contamination. The persistence of the pathogen over long time seemed to be very likely, considering that undistinguishable pulsotypes were found in carcasses slaughtered in the same slaughterhouse after periods up to 18 months long.