Essential oils (EOs) are liquid preparations, produced from plant materials. Although EOs showed a promising bioactivity in vitro, they could interact in foods with some components (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) and pH, thus many authors have reported that a significant effect of EOs toward spoiling and pathogenic microorganisms could be achieved in vivo by using higher amounts of oils. Different methods can be used to assess the bioactivity of EOs (disk diffusion and agar or broth dilution methods); however, there is not a standardized test and researchers propose and use different protocols (evaluating the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration, studying the survival curves, analysis through the scanning electron microscopy, etc.). Thereafter, the scope of this review is a focus on interactions of EOs with proteins, carbohydrates, oils, NaCl, and pH, as well as a brief description on the different protocols to assess their bioactivity both under in vivo and in vitro conditions.

Fast detection and identification of microorganisms is a challenging and significant feature from industry to medicine. Standard approaches are known to be very time-consuming and labor-intensive (e.g., culture media and biochemical tests). Conversely, screening techniques demand a quick and low-cost grouping of bacterial/fungal isolates and current analysis call for broad reports of microorganisms, involving the application of molecular techniques (e.g., 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing based on polymerase chain reaction). The goal of this review is to present the past and the present methods of detection and identification of microorganisms, and to discuss their advantages and their limitations.

In recent times, there has been growing recognition of the key role of foods and beverages in disease prevention and treatment. Thus, the production and consumption of functional foods has gained much importance as they provide a health benefit beyond the basic nutritional functions. At present, beverages are by far the most active functional food category because of convenience and possibility to meet consumer demands for container contents, size, shape, and appearance, as well as ease of distribution and storage for refrigerated and shelf-stable products. Moreover, they are an excellent delivering means for nutrients and bioactive compounds including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, ω-3 fatty acids, plant extracts, and fiber, prebiotics, and probiotics. However, in most cases, specific concerns have been raised over their safety. This review reports on the scientific advances in the emerging area of functional beverages with a focus on commercially available products, as well as on the potential health benefits related to their consumption.

Fruit juices represent a promising carrier for probiotic bacteria; however, there are some drawbacks and limits that could preclude their production at the industrial level, namely the survival of probiotics throughout storage, and the possible impact of bacteria on the sensory traits and overall acceptance. This review addresses the inoculation of probiotics in juices; with a special focus on the possibilities and challenges for future; i.e., why probiotics in juices and which kind of microorganisms; some drawbacks and how to improve the viability of probiotics; and some ideas on the sensory impact.

Lactic acid bacteria (19 isolates) from Bella di Cerignola Italian table olives were investigated for their technological and probiotic properties for the selection of multifunctional starter cultures for table olives. The bacteria were first identified by phenotyping and genotyping, then characterized for the production of biogenic amines, growth at different pH, NaCl concentrations, and temperatures. The potentiality of the bacteria to have some probiotic properties (antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens, survival in low pH and in the presence of bile salts, ability to adhere to the mammalian cells model IPEC-J2) was also investigated. Eighteen of the studied isolates were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum and one as Enterococcus faecalis. All bacteria were able to grow at a range of pH between 4.0 and 10.0 as well as in media supplemented with 2.5 to 7.5% of NaCl and 0.3% bile salts and survived in MRS broth acidified at pH 2.5; moreover, they inhibited significantly Escherichia coli O157:H7. The adhesion to IPEC-J2 cells was in general low to moderate (5.3 to 8.3%); however, 2 isolates of L. plantarum (c16 and c19) showed interesting higher adhesion values (up to 16%). Our results suggest that at least 3 isolates could be possible multifunctional starters for Bella di Cerignola olives: L. plantarum 16 and 19 for mainly their probiotic properties and L. plantarum 10 for mainly its technological characteristics. Practical Application: A functional starter is a microorganism exerting benefits on human health (probiotic) and able to guide a fermentation (starter). The main goal of this article was to select a functional starter for table olives.

This study focused to investigate the technological significance and the spoiling impact of diverse yeast strains, isolated from 'Bella di Cerignola' Italian table olives. Sixty-four isolates (belonging mainly to the species Candida famata and C. guilliermondii) were studied to assess their growth at different temperatures (15, 25 and 37°C), pHs (4.0, 5.0 and 9.5) and NaCl concentrations (0-10.0%) in lab medium. Their pectolytic, xylanolytic, lipolytic and catalase activities were also evaluated. Most of the yeasts showed a moderate pectolytic activity and were able to grow at pH 9.5 after 120 h of incubation. Salt and temperature were the most important environmental variables affecting yeast growth, which could exert a strong selective pressure on yeast population. Candida guilliermondii appeared more resistant to high salt concentrations, whereas C. famata was able to grow at 15°C.

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This paper proposes a review of some alternative approaches for food stabilisation and shelf life prolonging (based on the use of natural compounds and ⁄ or non-thermal techniques). After a brief description of food structure implication on the way of using the alternative approaches, two paragraphs summarise the topics of natural molecules (essential oils, lysozyme, lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase system, fatty acids, chitosan) and non-thermal approaches (high hydrostatic and homogenisation pressures, pulsed electric fields, high power ultrasound and irradiation). Finally, the last sections deal with the use of combined hurdles (along with the proposal of three possible modes of action of a multi-target preservation), the mathematical approaches for shelf life evaluating and some critical issues to be addressed in the future for a real scaling up of the proposed techniques.