Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum Bacillota, with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-shaped bacteria; and the plural Bacilli is the name of the class of bacteria to which this genus belongs. Bacillus species can be either obligate aerobes which are dependent on oxygen, or facultative anaerobes which can survive in the absence of oxygen. Cultured Bacillus species test positive for the enzyme catalase if oxygen has been used or is present.
The nitrite ion has the chemical formula NO−
2. Nitrite is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name nitrite also refers to organic compounds having the –ONO group, which are esters of nitrous acid.
Serratia is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. They are typically 1–5 μm in length, do not produce spores, and can be found in water, soil, plants, and animals. Some members of this genus produce a characteristic red pigment, prodigiosin, and can be distinguished from other members of the order Enterobacterales by their unique production of three enzymes: DNase (nucA), lipase, and gelatinase (serralysin). Serratia was thought to be a harmless environmental bacteria until it was discovered that the most common species in the genus, S. marcescens, is an opportunistic pathogen of many animals, including humans. In humans, S. marcescens is mostly associated with nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections, but can also cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and endocarditis. S. marcescens is frequently found in showers, toilet bowls, and around wet tiles as a pinkish to red biofilm but only causes disease in immunocompromised individuals. Aside from S. marcescens, some rare strains of the Serratia species – S. plymuthica, S. liquefaciens, S. rubidaea, and S. odoriferae – have been shown to cause infection such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis.
Listeria is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. As of 2024, 28 species have been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. Listeria species are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, and facultatively anaerobic, and do not produce endospores.
Torulaspora delbrueckii is a ubiquitous yeast species with both wild and anthropic habitats. The type strain of T. delbrueckii is CBS 1146T, equivalent to CLIB 230 or ATCC 10662, etc.. The type strain of T. delbrueckii CBS 1146 T was sequenced in 2009, and is composed of 8 chromosomes in addition to a mitochondrial genome.
Xanthomonas campestris is a gram-negative, obligate aerobic bacterium that is a member of the Xanthomonas genus, which is a group of bacteria that are commonly known for their association with plant disease. This species includes Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the cause of black rot in brassicas, one of the most important diseases of brassicas worldwide.
Alicyclobacillus is a genus of Gram-variable, rod-shaped, spore-forming bacteria. The bacteria are able to grow in acidic conditions, while the spores are able to survive typical pasteurization procedures.
Latilactobacillus sakei is the type species of the genus Latilactobacillus that was previously classified in the genus Lactobacillus. It is homofermentative; hexoses are metabolized via glycolysis to lactic acid as main metabolite; pentoses are fermented via the Phosphoketolase pathway to lactic and acetic acids.
Lactococcus piscium is a known fish pathogen affecting salmonid fish, which has nevertheless been found in other sources, such as packaged beef. Its type strain is NCFB 2778. L. piscium has shown promise as a bioprotective culture in the preservation of seafood. The bacterium has exhibited the ability to prevent sensory deterioration of food and inhibit the growth of other psychrophilic bacteria that may produce spoilage.
Leuconostoc carnosum is a lactic acid bacterium; its type strain is NCFB 2776. Its genome has been sequenced. Its name derives from the fact that it was first isolated from chill-stored meats. Its significance is that it thrives in anaerobic environments with a temperature around 2 °C, thus has been known to spoil vacuum-packed meat, yet it is not pathogenic and certain strains of L. carnosum are known to produce bactericides known to inhibit or kill Listeria monocytogenes.
Paecilomyces variotii, also known by the name Byssochlamys spectabilis for the sexual state, is a common environmental mold from the Phylum Ascomycota. It is widespread in the environment and can be found in composts, soils and wood, as well es a common environmental contaminant in indoor air and carpet dust. Ascospores of the sexual state of P. variotii are strongly heat-resistant. As such the fungus is a common contaminant of heat-treated foods and juices. Paecilomyces variotii has been associated with a number of infective diseases of humans and animals.
Penicillium oxalicum is an anamorph species of the genus Penicillium which was isolated from rhizosphere soil of pearl millet. Penicillium oxalicum produces secalonic acid D, chitinase, oxalic acid, oxaline and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and occurs widespread in food and tropical commodities. This fungus could be used against soilborne diseases like downy mildew of tomatoes
Penicillium solitum is an anamorphic, mesophilic, salinity-tolerant, and psychrotolerant species of fungus in the genus Penicillium. It is known to produce various compounds including polygalacturonase, compactin, cyclopenin, cyclopenol, cyclopeptin, dehydrocompactin, dihydrocyclopeptin, palitantin, solistatin, solistatinol, viridicatin, viridicatol.
Rhodotorula glutinis is the type species of the genus Rhodotorula, a basidiomycetous genus of pink yeasts which contains 370 species. Heterogeneity of the genus has made its classification difficult with five varieties having been recognized; however, as of 2011, all are considered to represent a single taxon. The fungus is a common colonist of animals, foods and environmental materials. It can cause opportunistic infections, notably blood infection in the setting of significant underlying disease. It has been used industrially in the production of carotenoid pigments and as a biocontrol agent for post-harvest spoilage diseases of fruits.
Penicillium commune is an indoor fungus belonging to the genus Penicillium. It is known as one of the most common fungi spoilage moulds on cheese. It also grows on and spoils other foods such as meat products and fat-containing products like nuts and margarine. Cyclopiazonic acid and regulovasine A and B are the most important mycotoxins produced by P. commune. The fungus is the only known species to be able to produce both penitrem A and roquefortine. Although this species does not produce penicillin, it has shown to have anti-pathogenic activity. There are no known plant, animal or human diseases caused by P. commune.
Edwin Michael Foster was an American microbiologist, specializing in food microbiology. He was the president of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in 1970.
John Ingram Pitt was an Australian mycologist, known as a leading expert on the role of fungi in food spoilage. He gained an international reputation as a pioneering researcher on the ecology of spoilage molds in extreme environments.
Brochothrix is genus of Gram-positive, nonmotile, catalase-positive, facultatively anaerobic bacteria that are nonmotile and form regular rod-shaped cells. The name Brochothrix is derived from the Greek noun brochos meaning loop and the Greek noun thrix meaning thread, from exponential-phase cultures which often show rods occurring in long, kinked, filamentous-like chains which bend and loop to give characteristic knotted masses. The genus is mostly associated with spoilage of high value food, such as meat and fish, caused by off-odor development. The type species is B. thermosphacta and the only other species I the genus is B. campestris. There is no evidence that any Brochothrix strain is pathogenic to humans or animals.
Brochothrix thermosphacta is one of the major bacteria involved in the spoilage of meat and seafood. When it grows in food, the metabolic activities result in the production of metabolites associated with off-odors. B. thermosphacta was originally classified as Microbacterium thermosphactum by McLean and Sulzbacher 1953 and was named from the Greek adjective thermê meaning heat and the Greek adjective sphaktos meaning slain, thermosphacta - killed by heat, because M. thermosphacta was unusually heat sensitive compared to other species of Microbacterium. B. thermosphacta can grow between 1–30 °C and grow up to 8% salt. Brochothrix thermosphacta can be selectively isolated from e.g. food samples by isolation on STAA agar.
'Streptomycin thallous acetate actidione agar, often abbreviated STAA, is a selective culture medium designed to favor the the growth of Brochothrix thermosphacta for lab study. This medium was developed in 1966, by George Alan Gardner.
