Microbial Cultures for Food Systems

The course aims to provide scientific skills relating to microbial cultures as sustainable biological tools that find application in different areas of the agri-food sector: i) in biotransformation and fermentation processes, ii) as protective agents in raw and processed foods, iii) in the control and mitigation of the spread of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, iv) in the sustainable management of waste, with the production of bioenergy or value-added products in the increasingly desirable perspective of a circular economy approach. Microorganisms are also key ingredients of dietary supplements, probiotic and postbiotic products. Furthermore, the course will introduce the complexity and diversity of the human and animal microbiota, highlighting how microbiota-host interaction can influence human and animal health and how diets can influence the diversity and functionality of the microbiota.

At the end of the course, skills will be acquired for the selection of microbial cultures for specific applications, considering the needs required in the development of an industrial process. Furthermore, skills will be acquired for the selection of a microorganism to be used in probiotic formulations, for a critical evaluation of products containing probiotics and for the scientific evaluation of its effectiveness.