title: Effects of sub-lethal high-pressure homogenization treatment on the outermost cellular structures and the volatile-molecule profiles of two strains of probiotic lactobacilli.
abstract: Applying sub-lethal levels of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) to lactic acid bacteria has been proposed as a method of enhancing some of their functional properties. Because the principal targets of HPH are the cell-surface structures, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of sub-lethal HPH treatment on the outermost cellular structures and the proteomic profiles of two known probiotic bacterial strains. Moreover, the effect of HPH treatment on the metabolism of probiotic cells within a dairy product during its refrigerated storage was investigated using SPME-GC-MS. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the microstructural changes in the outermost cellular structures due to HPH treatment. These alterations may be involved in the changes in some of the technological and functional properties of the strains that were observed after pressure treatment. Moreover, the proteomic profiles of the probiotic strains treated with HPH and incubated at 37°C for various periods showed different peptide patterns compared with those of the untreated cells. In addition, there were differences in the peaks that were observed in the low-mass spectral region (2000-3000 Da) of the spectral profiles of the control and treated samples. Due to pressure treatment, the volatile-molecule profiles of buttermilk inoculated with treated or control cells and stored at 4°C for 30 days exhibited overall changes in the aroma profile and in the production of molecules that improved its sensory profile, although the two different species imparted specific fingerprints to the product. The results of this study will contribute to understanding the changes that occur in the outermost cellular structures and the metabolism of LAB in response to HPH treatment. The findings of this investigation may contribute to elucidating the relationships between these changes and the alterations of the technological and functional properties of LAB induced by pressure treatment.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna Cesena, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tabanelli
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna Cesena, Italy ; Unit of Metagenomics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vernocchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna - Sede di Cesena Cesena, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Patrignani
authors.affiliation: Unit of Metagenomics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Chierico
authors.affiliation: Unit of Metagenomics, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy ; Unit of Parasitology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Putignani
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Lactología Industrial (INLAIN, UNL-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Litoral Santa Fe, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vinderola
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Instituto de Lactología Industrial (INLAIN, UNL-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Litoral Santa Fe, Argentina.
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reinheimer
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna Cesena, Italy ; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna - Sede di Cesena Cesena, Italy.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gardini
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna Cesena, Italy ; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna - Sede di Cesena Cesena, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lanciotti
keywords: MALDI-TOF MS; buttermilk; high-pressure homogenization; probiotic lactobacilli; transmission electron microscopy; volatile profile