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Unit for Lactic Acid Bacteria and Meat Environment
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We are currently studying the adaptation of Lactobacillus sakei , a non-pathogenic lactic acid bacteria, to its environment. This species is commonly found in meat (fresh meat, cured meat products, fermented products such as dry sausage). |
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| It is the predominant flora observed in vacuum-packed fresh meat and is very often found in traditionally-made dry sausage. Consequently, it is used as a starter in the industrial production of fermented meat products. It is also found occasionally on other substrates such as fish-based products or sauerkraut and it was recently described in the human gastrointestinal tract. It has a main role in the preservation and microbial quality of meat products by inhibiting the development of other bacterial species. Indeed, L. sakei is able to develop in meat and meat products by competing with other species, and to resist meat storage conditions (low temperature, presence of salt, absence of oxygen for example). In addition, it produces lactic acid which inhibits the development of certain bacteria. Finally, like other lactic acid bacteria, L. sakei has an antagonistic effect on the development of undesirable bacteria such as Listeria, through the production of bacteriocins. By understanding these characteristics, with the aim to efficiently control its development and to select high-performance strains, it is therefore possible to secure the microbiological quality of meat products. | ||
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With this in mind, we are studying the properties of this species, which explain how this species adapts to its environment so that its development can be controlled more efficiently and so that new strains with beneficial traits can be isolated for specific purposes. |
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Using standard genetic and molecular methods, we have studied the metabolic pathways that enable L. sakei to grow and survive. We are currently studying these metabolic pathways using a more general approach involving genomics and proteomics, and soon transcriptomics. The chromosome of our model strain has been entirely sequenced in the laboratory and we are analysing the differential expression of proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry. Genetic tools are available to assist in this functional analysis of the L. sakei genome. |
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