title: Recent advances in molecular techniques to study microbial communities in food-associated matrices and processes.
abstract: In the last two decades major changes have occurred in how microbial ecologists study microbial communities. Limitations associated with traditional culture-based methods have pushed for the development of culture-independent techniques, which are primarily based on the analysis of nucleic acids. These methods are now increasingly applied in food microbiology as well. This review presents an overview of current community profiling techniques with their (potential) applications in food and food-related ecosystems. We critically assessed both the power and limitations of these techniques and present recent advances in the field of food microbiology attained by their application. It is unlikely that a single approach will be universally applicable for analyzing microbial communities in unknown matrices. However, when screening samples for well-defined species or functions, techniques such as DNA arrays and real-time PCR have the potential to overtake current culture-based methods. Most importantly, molecular methods will allow us to surpass our current culturing limitations, thus revealing the extent and importance of the 'non-culturable' microbial flora that occurs in food matrices and production.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Research Centre, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. aju@scientiaterrae.org
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Justé
authors.forename: B P H J
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Thomma
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lievens
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial / Q000379:methods*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005524:Food Technology; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial