Microbiology of Food and Industrial Fermentation

 

Address: Plesso Food Area, Parco Area delle Scienze, 49/A - 43124 Parma, Italy 
 
Personnel:  
 
Prof. Erasmo Neviani - erasmo.neviani@unipr.it 
Prof. ssa Monica Gatti - monica.gatti@unipr.it   
Prof. ssa  Camilla Lazzi - camilla.lazzi@unipr.it
Prof. ssa  Valentina Bernini - valentina.bernini@unipr.it  
Prof. ssa  Benedetta Bottari -  benedetta.bottari@unipr.it 
Dr. ssa  Alessia Levante - alessia.levante@unipr.it 
Dr.ssa Elena Bancalari - elena.bancalari@unipr.it 

Dr.ssa Annalisa Ricci - annalisa.ricci@unipr.it

Dr. ssa Jasmine Hadj Saadoun - jasmine.hadjsaadoun@unipr.it

Dr. Francesco Martelli - francesco.martelli@unipr.it

  
Research fellows: 
Dr. Luca Bettera  (luca.bettera@unipr.it)  


PhD students: 

Dr. ssa Claudia Dellapina - claudia.dellapina@unipr.it

Dr. Luca Fontechiari - luca.fontechiari@unipr.it

Dr. ssa Martina Marrella - martina.marrella@unipr.it

Dr. Saverio Monica - saverio.monica@unipr.it

Dr. ssa Laura Troiani - laura.troiani@unipr.it

 

Administrative Technical Staff 

Dr. ssa Gaia Bertani - gaia.bertani@unipr.it

Dr. ssa Laura Marchi - laura.marchi@unipr.it

Dr. ssa Alessandra Masci - alessandra.masci@unipr.it

Sig.ra Silvia Zanetti - silvia.zanetti@unipr.it


 
Affiliation:  
Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco 

HOW TO REACH US:

 

Topics:

Microorganisms are everywhere around us, even in the most extreme Earth sites. The high level of biodiversity present among microorganisms and the consequent metabolic potential of individual cells are a resource to be exploited. The research activities of the group are aimed at the study of this microbial biodiversity and the evaluation of the potential applications deriving from it. In particular, the research group deals with the topics: Microorganisms-food; Microorganisms-health; Microorganisms-environment.

Microorganisms-foods: study of the dynamics concerning microbial populations development in food with culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques; dynamics of microbial population in fermented foods; study of the stress response of microorganisms in food; study of metabolic pathways of technological interest; metabolisms of technological interest related to the growth of lactic acid bacteria in food matrices (i.e., linking cellular metabolism to aromatic compounds, in situ production of EPS); genotypic and phenotypic characterization of starter and non starter lactic acid bacteria starter in cheese, technological and microbiological aspects; evaluation of bacteria for their potential use as cellular factories for the production of ingredients: antimicrobial extracts, lactic acid, polyphenols; bacterial adaptation in the food environment: activation of the toxin-antitoxin system and its implications; study of the presence and behaviour of pathogens in food; study of new compounds with antimicrobial activity; process challenge tests to assess the effects of innovative production and storage technologies.

Microorganisms-health: fermentation of new substrates for the development of functional foods and drinks; studies of human intestinal microbiome-diet interaction; study of possible health roles of the catabolic metabolism of lactic acid bacteria; bioactive peptides, exopolysaccharides, and other molecules produced during food fermentation; microbial metabolism and associated probiotic and prebiotic effects; study of the possible use of lactic acid bacteria to improve health.

Microorganisms-environment: valorisation of food industry wastes; fermentation of unprocessed vegetable waste for the production of biomass; production of bioactive extracts and flavours from fermentations of the agro-industry by-products; study of microbial interactions to implement the recovery of molecules of industrial interest.

 

Main publications (max 10) last year:

 

1. Bancalari E., D'Incecco P., Savo Sardaro M.L., Neviani E., Pellegrino L., Gatti M.; Impedance microbiology to speed up the screening of lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharide production. International Journal of Food Microbiology 306, 2 (2019)

2. Levante A., Folli C., Montanini B., Ferrari A., Neviani E. and Lazzi C. Expression of DinJ-YafQ System of Lactobacillus casei Group Strains in Response to Food Processing Stresses. Microorganisms 7(10), 438 (2019)

3. Bertani G., Levante A., Lazzi C., Bottari B., Gatti M., Neviani E.; Dynamics of a natural bacterial community under technological and environmental pressures: the case of natural whey starter for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Food Research International 129, 108860 (2020)

4. Ricci, A., Bertani, G., Maoloni, A., Bernini, V., Levante, A., Neviani, E., & Lazzi, C. Antimicrobial activity of fermented vegetable byproduct extracts for food applications. Foods, 10(5), 1092 (2021)

5. Hadj Saadoun, J., Calani, L., Cirlini, M., Bernini, V., Neviani, E., Del Rio, D., Galaverna, G. & Lazzi, C. Effect of fermentation with single and co-culture of lactic acid bacteria on okara: evaluation of bioactive compounds and volatile profiles. Food & Function, 12(7), 3033-3043 (2021)

6. Martelli, F., Cirlini, M., Dellafiora, L., Neviani, E., Dall’Asta, C., & Bernini, V. Mitigation of marine toxins by interactions with bacteria: The case of okadaic acid and tetrodotoxin. Food Control, 131, 108428 (2022)

7. Levante, A., Lazzi, C., Vatsellas, G., Chatzopoulos, D., Dionellis, V. S., Makrythanasis, P., ... & Folli, C. Genome sequencing of five lacticaseibacillus strains and analysis of Type I and II toxin-antitoxin system distribution. Microorganisms, 9(3), 648 (2021)

8. Hadj Saadoun, J., Levante, A., Marrella, M., Bernini, V., Neviani, E., & Lazzi, C. Influence of Processing Parameters and Natural Antimicrobial on Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris and Clostridium pasteurianum Using Response Surface Methodology. Foods, 11(7), 1063 (2022)

9. Bancalari, E., Gatti, M., Bottari, B., Mora, D., & Arioli, S. Disclosing Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus intraspecific diversity in exopolysaccharides production. Food Microbiology, 102, 103924 (2022)

10. Ricci, A., Martelli, F., Alinovi, M., Garofalo, A., Perna, G., Neviani, E., Mucchetti, G. & Bernini, V. Behaviour and adhesion capacity of Listeria monocytogenes on Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO cheese and in fluids involved in the production process. Food Control, 109110 (2022)

11. Castellone V., Prandi B., Bancalari E., Tedeschi T., Gatti M., Bottari B. Peptide profile of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese after simulated gastrointestinal digestion: From quality drivers to functional compounds. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 966239 (2022)

 

Scientific and didactic books and texts

1. Mucchetti G., Neviani E. (2006): “MICROBIOLOGIA E TECNOLOGIA LATTIERO-CASEARIA, Qualità e sicurezza” Ed. Tecniche Nuove (Milano) ISBN 8848118178

2. Astuti M., Bentivoglio M., Carminati D., Castoldi F., Dalla Turca E., Gandolfi L., Graverini L., Lasi G., Marchetti M., Mosca G., Neviani E., Pastore M., Pinelli C., Previstali A., Marchesi F., Soria E., Varisco G., Vezzini V.; MANUALE VOLONTARIO DI CORRETTA PRASSI OPERATIVA PER IL SETTORE LATTIERO-CASEARIO, Assolate - Collana Libro Bianco sul Latte e i prodotti lattiero-caseari, Ed Mondo del Latte Milano (2008)

3. Farris G.A., Gobetti M., Neviani E., Vincenzini M. (2012): MICROBIOLOGIA DEI PRODOTTI ALIMENTARI. Zanichelli editore Spa/CEA Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, ISBN 978-8808-18246-3

4. Randazzo C. L., Caggia C., Neviani E. (2013): CHEESE RIPENING: QUALITY, SAFETY AND HEALTH ASPECTS. Nova Science Publishers. Hauppauge NY, USA.ISBN – 978-1-62417-032-4

5. Neviani E.; I SABATI DELL’UNIVERSITÀ DI PARMA PER EXPO 2015: L’ATENEO PER IL TERRITORIO. Monte Università di Parma editore. ISBN 978-88-7847-503-8 (2016)

tradotto: Neviani E.; SATURDAYS AT PARMA UNIVERSITY FOR EXPO 2015: THE UNIVERSITY FOR THE TERRITORY. Monte Università di Parma editor. ISBN 978-88-7847-524-3 (2017)

6. Gobbetti M., Neviani E., Fox P.; THE CHEESES OF ITALY: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ed. Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature, Cham – Switzerland, ISBN 978-3-319-89853-7, ISBN 978-3-319-89854-4 (eBook), doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89854-4 (2018)

7. Cocolin L., Gobetti M., Neviani E. (2022): MICROBIOLOGIA ALIMENTARE APPLICATA. CEA Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, ISBN 978-8808-120074.6

8. Mucchetti G., Neviani E. (2022): TECNOLOGIA CASEARIA dall’empirismo all’industria. CEA Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, ISBN 978-8808-99976-4

Main collaborations

Internationals

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique di Jouy-en-Josas (Unité de Biochimie et Structure des Protéines) -Francia-

Faculdade De Cièncias Da Universidade Do Porto, Porto, Portugal

Osaka City University (Japan)

Food Industries Research Institute, Hanoi (Vietnam)

Universidade Federal de Santa Caterina (Brazil)

University of Cadiz, Faculty of Science (Spain)

Helsinki University, Department of Food and Nutrition (Finland)

Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens (Greece)

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria

University of Thessaly (Greece)

Cyprus technological university (Cyrpus)

University of Leon (Spain)

University of Warmia and Mazury (Poland)

University of Greenwich, Natural Resources Institute (England)

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,Department of Food and Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics,Department of Food Engineering (Turkey)

Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture de Meknes (Morocco)

 

Nationals

SITEIA Parma

CIPAK Parma

CREA-FLC Centro Ricerca Produzioni Foraggere e Lattiero Casearie (Lodi)

Ente Regionale per i Servizi all’Agricoltura e alle Foreste (ERSAF) Mantova - Regione Lombardia

Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente - Università di Milano

Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari - Università di Bologna

Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e agroambientali - Università Federico II, Napoli

Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari – Università di Torino

Dipartimento Di Scienze Del Suolo, Della Pianta E Degli Alimenti – Università Aldo Moro di Bari

Facoltà di Scienze e Tecnologie - Università di Bolzano

Stazione Sperimentale Industria Conserve Alimentari - Parma (SSICA)

IZSLER - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna

Fondazione Edmund Mach (Trento)

 

ONGOING PROJECTS:

PNRR

· National Research Centre for Agricultural Technologies - Agritech

Participation in Spoke 8 “Circular economy in agriculture through waste valorisation and recycling”

Partecipants: Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Dr. Alessia Levante, Dr. Elena Bancalari, Dr. Jasmine Hadj Saadoun

· Spoke 4 ONFOODS

Participation in Spoke 4 (FOOD QUALITY AND NUTRITION) of the Extended Partnership in Models for a healthy and sustainable diet. ONFOODS (Research and innovation network on food and nutrition Sustainability, Safety and Security – Working ON Foods)

Partecipants: Prof. Monica Gatti, Prof. Benedetta Bottari, Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Prof. Valentina Bernini, Dr. Elena Bancalri; Dr. Francesco Martelli

· SUS-MIRRI.IT

Participation in the project Strengthening the MIRRI Italian Research Infrastructure for Sustainable Bioscience and Bioeconomy” (SUS-MIRRI.IT) (National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4 “Education and Research” - Component 2 “From research to business”, Investment line 3.1 "Fund for the creation of an integrated system of research and innovation infrastructures" reference action 3.1.1 "Creation of new RIs or enhancement of existing ones that contribute to the Scientific Excellence objectives of Horizon Europe and establishment of networks", pursuant to Ministerial Decree of 7 October 2021 No. 1141).

Partecipants: Prof. Valentina Bernini

OTHER PROJECT

· IPSUS

Climate smart food innovation using plant and seaweed proteins from upcycled sources, funded under the call SUSFOOD2-FOSC Joint Call

Principal investigator for UNIPR: Dr. Mariella Paciulli

Co-Principal investigator for UNIPR: Dr. Elena Bancalari

Partecipants for UNIPR: Dr. Marcello Alinovi, Prof. Monica Gatti, Prof. Emma Chiavaro

· University of Parma Culture Collection (UPCC)

Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Valentina Bernini

Curator: Dr. Alessandra Masci

Partecipants: Prof. Erasmo Neviani, Prof. Monica Gatti, Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Prof. Benedetta Bottari, Dr. Alessia Levante, Prof. Adriana Ianieri

· InnoMeatEdu

Innovative digital tools applied to sustainable Meat Science and Technology Higher Education: a link between industry and academia, finanziato nell'ambito dei bandi per la creazione di partenariati strategici K2, Istruzione superiore, Erasmus + 2022.

Scientific director for UNIPR Prof. Benedetta Bottari

Partecipants: Prof. Marcello Alinovi, Dr. Elena Bancalari, Prof. Emma Chiavaro, Prof. Sergio Ghidini.

· PRIN PDOnonPDO

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or non-PDO cheeses: the interplay of consumer preferences and cheeseomics. Bando 2020 Prot. 2020NRKHAJ (2022-2025)

Principal investigator Prof. Monica Gatti

Partecipants for UNIPR: Prof. Cristina Mora, Prof. Martina Cirlini, Dr. Alessia Levante, Dr. Jasmine Hadj Saadoun, Dr. Luca Bettera, Dr.ssa Rungsaran Wongprawmas

Other Units: University of Bari (Prof. Maria Calasso) and University of Turin (Prof.ssa Valentina Alessandria)

· Progetto Farm4PR

The farming systems of the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO area: effects on lactic acid bacteria and dairy characteristics of milk” - MIPAAF - D.M. N. 27443 del 25/09/2018 – Public selection - https://saf.unipr.it/it/node/3893

Principal Investigator: Prof. Monica Gatti

Participants: Prof. Erasmo Neviani, Prof. Benedetta Bottari, Dr. Elena Bancalari, Prof. Andrea Summer, Prof. Massimo Malacarne, Prof. Federico Righi, Dr. Paolo Formaggioni, Dr. Piero Franceschi

Collaborators: Dr. Luca Bettera, Dr. Saverio Monica, Dr. Giorgia Stocco

· Project Rural Development Program (PSR) 2014-2020, Measure 16.1 focus area 2A

“Development of new lacto-fermented products based on fruit and vegetables" (ACRONYM: C’è FERMENTO)”- Funded by the Emilia Romagna Region, Regional Council Resolution n.4356 of 03/13/2020 - Public selection -

Principal Investigator: Prof. Camilla Lazzi

Partecipants: Openfields, Azienda Agricola Corte San Ruffillo, Az. Agr. Punto Verde (MO), Az. Agr. Cà de Frà (MO), EcorNaturasì (BO), Centoform (FE).

Partecipants for UNIPR-SITEIA: Prof. Erasmo Neviani, Prof. Valentina Bernini, Prof. Martina Cirlini, Prof. Gianni Galaverna.

· Progetto POR FSE 2014/2020 - High skills for research and technology transfer

“Generation of Low Environmental Impact Antimicrobials (GAIA): recovery of by-products and plant waste and from insect farming”- Founded by Regione Emilia Romagna, Regional Council Resolution n. 255 of 30/03/2020 - Public selection –

Scientific Coordinators: Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Prof. Emanuela Zanardi, Prof. Tullia Tedeschi

· Cariparma Projects-General Payment Session 2017 and 2018

“Production of antimicrobials from vegetable waste" (year 2018) -Cariparma – Public selection-

Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Camilla Lazzi

· Cariparma Projects-General Payment Session 2017 and 2018

“Production of aromatic compounds starting from fruit and vegetable by-products" (year 2018) -Cariparma – Public selection-

Scientific Coordinator: Prof. Camilla Lazzi

 

INDUSTRIES AND CONSORTIA COLLABORATIONS

· Consorzio Grana Padano. Quality evaluation of similar cheese produced from milk which has undergone a process of desporification and disinfection as a result of the use of bactofugation technology (BACTOFUGA). Principal Investigator Prof. Monica Gatti

· Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. Studies related to the research of biotypes of lactic acid bacteria with aromatic metabolic capacities. Principal Investigator Prof. Erasmo Neviani and Prof. Monica Gatti

· Consorzio Grana Padano. Lactic acid bacteria characteristic of natural whey starter for Grana Padano DOP: a collection of autochthonous microorganisms towards 2020 (RINGRAP) Principal Investigator Prof. Erasmo Neviani

· Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. Studies concerning the microbial composition of raw milk. Principal Investigator Prof. Benedetta Bottari

· Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. Gene and aromatic mapping of Parmigiano Reggiano: omic analysis for the recognition of genes and flavours. Principal Investigator Prof. Alessia Levante

· Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. Gene and aromatic mapping of Parmigiano Reggiano: omics data statistical elaboration. Principal Investigator Prof. Elena Bancalari

· Consorzio per la tutela del formaggio Gorgonzola DOP. Characterisation of environmental resistance and pathogenicity of Listeria monocytogenes biotypes isolated from Gorgonzola PDO cheese rind in comparison with biotypes of the same species isolated from other niches. Principal Investigator Prof. Valentina Bernini

· Consorzio di Tutela del Pecorino Toscano DOP. The microbial collection of Pecorino Toscano: development and new selection criteria of autochthonous microorganisms in order to define the microbial collection "core”. Principal Investigator Prof. Valentina Bernini

· Mutti S.p.A. Challenge test for the assessment of microbiological stability of food service channel products. Principal Investigator Prof. Camilla Lazzi

· Mutti S.p.A. Real-time monitoring of microbial contamination during tomato processing. Principal Investigator Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Dr. Alessia Levante

· Enrico Giotti S.p.A. (McCormick & Company, Inc.). Fermentation of waste for the production of molecules of interest. Principal Investigator Prof. Camilla Lazzi

· Enrico Giotti S.p.A. (McCormick & Company, Inc.). Production of natural aroma via bioprocessing (BIO-WAY). Responsabile Prof. Camilla Lazzi

· Puratos Italia S.r.l. Fermentation of waste and its reuse in the sector. Principal Investigator Prof. Camilla Lazzi

· Promicol, NL. Preliminary feasibility assessment: Improvement of the selective potential of bioluminescence analysis for the detection of microbial contamination of wine. Principal Investigator Prof. Bottari

· Sacco S.r.l “Characterization of strains belonging to Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis”. Principal Investigator Prof. Monica Gatti

· Tradizioni Padane S.r.L. Evaluation of multidisciplinary approaches aimed at increasing the shelf life of the product to be packaged in recyclable packaging. Scientific responsible for the microbiological part Prof. Benedetta Bottari.

 

PATENTS

Italian Patent granted n. 102019000006815 14 May 2019 “Antimicrobials from vegetable wastes”. International patent pending PCT 13 May2020 (https://www.knowledge-share.eu/brevetto/antimicrobici-da-scarti-vegetali/). Owner: University of Parma. Inventors: Prof. Camilla Lazzi, Prof. Valentina Bernini, Prof. Erasmo Neviani, Prof. Gianni Galaverna, Prof. Martina Cirlini, Dr. Annalisa Ricci, Dr. Antonietta Maoloni, Dr. Luca Calani e Mrs. Silvia Zanetti.