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Fresh meat is commonly packaged in modified atmosphere to decelerate spoilage processes. The applied gas mixture affects the growth of spoilage organisms and selectively shapes the spoilage community. In this study, we investigated the impact of O2 and CO2 on the growth of Photobacterium (P.) phosphoreum and P. carnosum strains in situ on chicken meat by packaging under different modified atmospheres (air, 70% O2/30% CO2, 70% N2/30% CO2, 100% N2). Combination of 70% O2 and 30% CO2 resulted in significant growth reduction of the analyzed strains, suggesting inhibitory effects of both gases in combination. In contrast, 30% CO2 alone had only a minor effect and photobacteria are supposed to have a growth advantage over other meat spoilers in this atmosphere. Additionally, single growth of the strains in the different atmospheres was compared when challenged with the presence of Pseudomonas (Ps.) fragi or Brochothrix (B.) thermosphacta as prominent co-contaminants in different ratios (10:1, 1:1, 1:10). Presence of co-contaminants resulted in increased cell numbers of P. carnosum TMW2.2149 but reduced or unchanged cell numbers of P. phosphoreum TMW2.2103 in most packaging atmospheres. The initial ratio of photobacteria and co-contaminants defined the relative abundance during storage but did not change the type of the interaction. Our results suggest either a commensalistic (P. carnosum) or competitive interaction (P. phosphoreum) of photobacteria and co-contaminants on modified atmosphere packaged chicken, respectively. Furthermore, in a mix comprising seven prominent spoilers, strains of both Photobacterium species prevailed as a constant part of the spoilage microbiome during 7 days of refrigerated storage on chicken meat packaged under O2/CO2 atmosphere.

Photobacterium spp. occur frequently in marine environments but have been recently also found as common spoilers on chilled meats. The environmental conditions in these ecological niches differ especially regarding salinity and ambient pressure. Linking the occurrence of photobacteria in different niches may elucidate its ecology and bring insights for the food industry. We investigated tolerance of Photobacterium (P.) phosphoreum and P. carnosum strains to high hydrostatic pressure and salinity and aligned our observations with presence of relevant genes. The strains were isolated from packaged meats and salmon (or the sea) to identify adaptations to marine and terrestrial habitats. Growth of all P. carnosum strains was reduced by 40 MPa hydrostatic pressure and >3% sodium chloride, suggesting loss of traits associated with marine habitats. In contrast, P. phosphoreum strains were only slightly affected, suggesting general adaptation to marine habitats. In accordance, these strains had gene clusters associated with marine niches, e.g. flagellar and lux-operons, being incomplete in P. carnosum. Occurrence of P. carnosum strains on packaged salmon and P. phosphoreum strains on meats therefore likely results from cross-contamination in meat and fish processing. Still, these strains showed intermediate traits regarding pressure- and halotolerance, suggesting developing adaptation to their respective environment.

This review shall provide support for the suitability of arid environments as preferred location to search for unknown lipid-accumulative bacteria. Bacterial lipids are attracting more and more attention as sustainable replacement for mineral oil in fuel and plastic production. The development of prokaryotic microorganisms in arid desert habitats is affected by its harsh living conditions. Drought, nutrient limitation, strong radiation, and extreme temperatures necessitate effective adaption mechanisms. Accumulation of storage lipids as energy reserve and source of metabolic water represents a common adaption in desert animals and presumably in desert bacteria and archaea as well. Comparison of corresponding literature resulted in several bacterial species from desert habitats, which had already been described as lipid-accumulative elsewhere. Based on the gathered information, literature on microbial communities in hot desert, cold desert, and humid soil were analyzed on its content of lipid-accumulative bacteria. With more than 50% of the total community size in single studies, hot deserts appear to be more favorable for lipid-accumulative species then humid soil (≤20%) and cold deserts (≤17%). Low bacterial lipid accumulation in cold deserts is assumed to result from the influence of low temperatures on fatty acids and the increased necessity of permanent adaption methods.

As oleaginous microorganisms represent an upcoming novel feedstock for the biotechnological production of lipids or lipid-derived biofuels, we searched for novel, lipid-producing strains in desert soil. This was encouraged by the hypothesis that neutral lipids represent an ideal storage compound, especially under arid conditions, as several animals are known to outlast long periods in absence of drinking water by metabolizing their body fat. Ten lipid-accumulating bacterial strains, affiliated to the genera Bacillus, Cupriavidus, Nocardia, Rhodococcus and Streptomyces, were isolated from arid desert soil due to their ability to synthesize poly(β-hydroxybutyrate), triacylglycerols or wax esters. Particularly two Streptomyces sp. strains and one Rhodococcus sp. strain accumulate significant amounts of TAG under storage conditions under optimized cultivation conditions. Rhodococcus sp. A27 and Streptomyces sp. G49 synthesized approx. 30% (w/w) fatty acids from fructose or cellobiose, respectively, while Streptomyces isolate G25 reached a cellular fatty acid content of nearly 50% (w/w) when cultivated with cellobiose. The stored triacylglycerols were composed of 30-40% branched fatty acids, such as anteiso-pentadecanoic or iso-hexadecanoic acid. To date, this represents by far the highest lipid content described for streptomycetes. A biotechnological production of such lipids using (hemi)cellulose-derived raw material could be used to obtain sustainable biodiesel with a high proportion of branched-chain fatty acids to improve its cold-flow properties and oxidative stability.

There is an error in the Original Publication of this paper for “Acknowledgements” section was missing.