Livsmedelsmikrobiologi
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Food and feed microbiology
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Large parts of the food and feed microbiology group, September 2009
Identification service
We offer an identification service for yeasts, moulds and lactic acid bacteria to food and feed companies and other institutions. Please contact these people for more information before sending cultures:
yeasts: Volkmar Passoth, 018-673380
moulds: Petter Melin, 018-673398
LAB: Klara Båth, 018-673210
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Bacterial/host interactions
Bacteria are involved in a number of beneficial and detrimental interactions with a variety of hosts. Pathogenic bacteria are causing many diseases in animals and humans often with serious effects and with great economical impact. On the other hand, many bacteria live in peace with its host like the complex intestinal microflora. Some bacteria are even believed to be important for health. A common name for bacteria that are added to food in the purpose of giving health effects is probiotics.
Both pathogens and probiotics need to interact with the host and the bacterial surface is important in these interactions. In our department, we perform research, which focuses on the understanding of the surface proteins of both pathogens and probiotics.
Read more about our research on:
Pathogens
Probiotics
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Lactic acid bacteria and propioni bacteria
We study how lactic acid bacteria and propionic bacteria can be used for biopreservation of food and animal feed. We also work with probiotic lactic acid bacteria, mainly L. reuteri.
Read more about some of our projects:
Ensiling
Energy saving storage of crops for biofuel production
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Filamentous fungi
We investigate both positive and negative aspects of mould growth. Moulds can cause spoilage of food and feed, and some produce toxins that are detrimental to animal and human health. Moulds are also involved in a number of traditional food fermentations, enabling long-term storage and adding nutritional value.
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Yeast physiology/biocontrol
We focus on inhibition of moulds on feed grain by antifungal yeasts, protein enrichment on feed grain by growing yeasts on the grain, industrial ethanol production and heterologous protein expression, using hypoxia regulated promoters. Interactions of yeasts with other microorganisms (moulds and lactic acid bacteria) are an important issue of our research projects. To study the microbial diversity in these systems, we established molecular methods to identify yeasts and bacteria.
In all investigated systems, the responses of the yeasts to oxygen limitation play an important role. We mainly work on respiratory yeasts, which under oxygen limitation behave similar to higher eukaryotes. As the response to oxygen limitation is an essential element in the eukaryotic metabolism, our work contributes to the general understanding of fundamental metabolic processes.
Most of our studies have been performed on Pichia anomala and Pichia stipitis. Recently, we started to work on Dekkera bruxellensis, and its interaction with the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus vini.
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Sidan uppdaterad:
2012-04-10.