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A little extra about our project:
Food Spoilage What your mom doesn’t know about!
Food spoilage is a common kitchen disaster hiding behind a closed shelf or buried deep within
refrigerator which all of us have been frustrated with. It is one of the most important reasons a
lot of quality edible food product go to waste. Spoilage is characterized by any change in a food
product that renders it unacceptable to the consumer from a sensory point of view. (Lone Gram,
2002) In reality it is a vibrant problem though pictured individually this picture does not zoom
out beyond minor negligence in kitchen – leaving yogurt out in open, cauliflowers pushed too far
behind in the chill tray. However these food spoilage incidents do happen at industrial and farm
level too where a lot of quality raw product can go to waste before it can be made fit for
consumption. Expenses which would have to be taken into consideration because of it would
include: medical care, including hospital costs; laboratory investigations; the cost to the
economy generally of production and wages lost through illness; loss of production and market
share for food manufacturers implicated in outbreaks, and legal expenses in the event of
prosecution or claims for compensation (Eley, 1992). All of this accounts for a large economic
loss.
There are two main reasons for food spoilage: “Naturally occurring biochemical changes” and
“Microbial Activity”. Similar to human’s digestion microbes – bacteria and fungi break down the
food particles into simple derivatives acids and similar other waste products may be released
changing the physical properties and chemical structure of our food. In severe cases they can
cause food poisonings and in extreme experiences have also resulted in death! Between 1980
1989 Cases of food poisoning bacteria in England and Wales rose from 10856 to 25818. (Eley,
1992).
When food gets spoilt we generally tend to identify it by tasting or detecting change in color,
texture or smell. Simple and comfortable these tactics are, they elude us from identifying these
issues beyond our daily context. One simple example of this would be biofilm formation in food
processing plants where they cause extensive losses due to equipment failure or necessary
extensive cleanup.
In past few decades detection of quorum sensing signals in spoiled food products has added a
new dimension to study the process of food spoilage. The bacterial phenomenon of celltocell
communication using signaling molecules is known as quorum sensing. Bacteria takes decisive
action based upon assessing local cell densities. Celltocell communication depends on the
production of, secretion of, and response to small, diffusible signal molecules called
"autoinducers". The signal molecules are produced and secreted at a basal level during
bacterial growth. Their concentration in the environmental medium or matrix increases as the
bacterial population expands, and when it reaches a threshold level (quorum level). It induces
phenotypic effects by regulating quorumsensing dependent target gene expression. This
phenomenon occurs without any external intervention and is also referred to as auto induction.
A very common quorum system found widely in gram negative bacteria is AHL based
communication. AHL or NAcyl Homoserine Lactone is an autoinducer, a part of quorum
sensing network in multiple bacteria and has thus confirmed the role of inter cell signaling
pathway in food spoilage. They are found in milk and other dairy products which are the fastest
among the perishable items to get spoilt. A systematic study has discovered spoilage to be
caused by AHL producing bacteria. This study and its results brought new perspective into how
food spoilage can be prevented by selectively targeting this signaling pathway and thus
preventing microbial action to take place despite their favorable number and conditions.
Quorumsensing signaling molecules can be detected from cell free supernatants, extracts of
food samples, and spent culture supernatants of bacteria isolated from food products (Ammor
and others 2008).The use of bacterial biosensors has made the detection and quantification of
different types of these signals like AHLs easier, economical, and faster. An AHL biosensors
contain a functional LuxR family protein cloned with a cognate target promoter (usually the
promoter of the cognate luxI synthase), which up regulates the expression of a reporter gene
encoding for a phenotypic response only in the presence of exogenous AHLs, as they do not
produce the signaling molecules but only possess their cognate receptors.
Affirmative action using quorum sensing inhibitors can be taken in food preservation also.
Quorumsensing inhibitors are typically analogues of the AHLs, or compounds that degrade
AHLs. A promising group of quorumsensing inhibitors is the halogenated furanones produced
by the Australian red alga, Delisea pulchra (Givskov and others 1996). The initial cytotoxicity
and chemically unstable nature of these inhibitors has prompted the screening of nontoxic
quorumsensing inhibitors from natural sources. Plants used in traditional medicine are one of
the most promising areas in the search for new biologically active compounds. In a study by
Vattem and others (2007), dietary phytochemicals from plants known to have several health
benefits and antimicrobial activity, exhibited quorumsensing inhibitory activity at sub lethal
concentrations. Vanilla, a widely used spice and flavor, can inhibit bacterial quorum sensing.
Quorumsensing inhibitors may prevent colonization of food surfaces, toxin formation, and
proliferation of foodrelated bacteria. The natural occurrence of quorumsensing inhibitors is an
important consideration for the assessment of their toxicological status and may facilitate their
use in food as preservatives and hence pave way for the application of novel food preservation
techniques. (Rai, 2011)
Recent modern applications of microbiology in food spoilage have caused much buzz in
academic world. The discovery of novel biochemical pathways and subsequent development of
their applications is increasingly bringing up new perspective to combat the intimidating
challenge of food security. Though the general masses at large is still oblivious to role of
microbiota in their dietary habits. Fermentation helps in making bread and pasteurization is
enough to purify milk is the saturation of public’s knowledge about food spoilage. A systematic
campaign to spread awareness at grass root level would boost public’s interest in food spoilage
beyond their monthly budget into the spectrum of global challenge of food security. That would
hopefully lead to more developed industrial base providing cheap protection against food
spoilage..
Bibliography
Eley, A. (1992). Food Poisoning.
Lone Gram, M. R. (2002). Food spoilage—interactions between food spoilage bacteria.
Rai, A. J. (2011). Bacterial Quorum Sensing and Food Industry.