Angel Alegría

Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland

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Publications (6)19.15 Total impact

  • Article: Genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae IPLA 31405, a bacteriocin-producing, tetracycline-resistant strain isolated from a raw-milk cheese.
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    ABSTRACT: This work describes the draft genome sequence of Lactococcus garvieae IPLA 31405, isolated from a traditional Spanish cheese. The genome contains a lactose-galactose operon, a bacteriocin locus, two integrated phages, a transposon harboring an active tet(M) gene, and two theta-type plasmid replicons. Genes encoding virulence factors were not recorded.
    Journal of bacteriology 09/2012; 194(18):5118-9. · 3.94 Impact Factor
  • Article: Biodiversity in Oscypek, a traditional Polish cheese, determined by culture-dependent and -independent approaches.
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    ABSTRACT: Oscypek is a traditional Polish scalded-smoked cheese, with a protected-designation-of-origin (PDO) status, manufactured from raw sheep's milk without starter cultures in the Tatra Mountains region of Poland. This study was undertaken in order to gain insight into the microbiota that develops and evolves during the manufacture and ripening stages of Oscypek. To this end, we made use of both culturing and the culture-independent methods of PCR followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The culture-dependent technique and PCR-DGGE fingerprinting detected the predominant microorganisms in traditional Oscypek, whereas the next-generation sequencing technique (454 pyrosequencing) revealed greater bacterial diversity. Besides members of the most abundant bacterial genera in dairy products, e.g., Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Streptococcus, and Enterococcus, identified by all three methods, other, subdominant bacteria belonging to the families Bifidobacteriaceae and Moraxellaceae (mostly Enhydrobacter), as well as various minor bacteria, were identified by pyrosequencing. The presence of bifidobacterial sequences in a cheese system is reported for the first time. In addition to bacteria, a great diversity of yeast species was demonstrated in Oscypek by the PCR-DGGE method. Culturing methods enabled the determination of a number of viable microorganisms from different microbial groups and their isolation for potential future applications in specific cheese starter cultures.
    Applied and environmental microbiology 03/2012; 78(6):1890-8. · 3.69 Impact Factor
  • Article: Comparative phenotypic and molecular genetic profiling of wild Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains of the L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris genotypes, isolated from starter-free cheeses made of raw milk.
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    ABSTRACT: Twenty Lactococcus lactis strains with an L. lactis subsp. lactis phenotype isolated from five traditional cheeses made of raw milk with no added starters belonging to the L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris genotypes (lactis and cremoris genotypes, respectively; 10 strains each) were subjected to a series of phenotypic and genetic typing methods, with the aims of determining their phylogenetic relationships and suitability as starters. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of intact genomes digested with SalI and SmaI proved that all strains were different except for three isolates of the cremoris genotype, which showed identical PFGE profiles. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis using internal sequences of seven loci (namely, atpA, rpoA, pheS, pepN, bcaT, pepX, and 16S rRNA gene) revealed considerable intergenotype nucleotide polymorphism, although deduced amino acid changes were scarce. Analysis of the MLST data for the present strains and others from other dairy and nondairy sources showed that all of them clustered into the cremoris or lactis genotype group, by using both independent and combined gene sequences. These two groups of strains also showed distinctive carbohydrate fermentation and enzyme activity profiles, with the strains in the cremoris group showing broader profiles. However, the profiles of resistance/susceptibility to 16 antibiotics were very similar, showing no atypical resistance, except for tetracycline resistance in three identical cremoris genotype isolates. The numbers and concentrations of volatile compounds produced in milk by the strains belonging to these two groups were clearly different, with the cremoris genotype strains producing higher concentrations of more branched-chain, derived compounds. Together, the present results support the idea that the lactis and cremoris genotypes of phenotypic Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis actually represent true subspecies. Some strains of the two subspecies in this study appear to be good starter candidates.
    Applied and environmental microbiology 06/2011; 77(15):5324-35. · 3.69 Impact Factor
  • Article: Assessment of microbial populations dynamics in a blue cheese by culturing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.
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    ABSTRACT: The composition and development of microbial population during the manufacture and ripening of two batches of a blue-veined cheese was examined by culturing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) (PCR-DGGE). Nine selective and/or differential media were used to track the cultivable populations of total and indicator microbial groups. For PCR-DGGE, the V3 hyper variable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the eukaryotic D1 domain of 28S rDNA were amplified with universal primers, specific for prokaryotes and eukaryotes, respectively. Similarities and differences between the results obtained by the culturing and the molecular method were recorded for some populations. Culturing analysis allows minority microbial groups (coliforms, staphylococci) to be monitored, although in this study PCR-DGGE identified a population of Streptococcus thermophilus that went undetected by culturing. These results show that the characterization of the microbial populations interacting and evolving during the cheese-making process is improved by combining culturing and molecular methods.
    Current Microbiology 11/2010; 62(3):888-93. · 1.82 Impact Factor
  • Article: Bacteriocins produced by wild Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from traditional, starter-free cheeses made of raw milk.
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    ABSTRACT: Sixty bacterial strains were encountered by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) typing in a series of 306 Lactococcus lactis isolates collected during the manufacturing and ripening stages of five traditional, starter-free cheeses made from raw milk. Among the 60 strains, 17 were shown to produce bacteriocin-like compounds in both solid and liquid media. At a genotypic level, 16 of the strains were identified by molecular methods as belonging to L. lactis subsp. lactis and one to L. lactis subsp. cremoris. Among the L. lactis subsp. lactis strains, phenotypic and genetic data determined that eleven produced either nisin A (nine strains) or nisin Z (two strains), and that five produced lactococcin 972. Variable levels of the two bacteriocins were produced by different strains. In addition, nisin was shown to be produced in inexpensive, dairy- and meat-based media, which will allow the practical application of its producing strains in industrial processes. Specific PCR and nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence analysis identified the inhibitor produced by the single L. lactis subsp. cremoris isolate as a lactococcin G-like bacteriocin. Beyond the use of bacteriocins as functional ingredients for the biopreservation of foods, the newly identified bacteriocin-producing L. lactis strains from traditional cheeses may also be useful for designing starter cultures with protective properties and/or adjunct cultures for accelerating cheese ripening.
    International journal of food microbiology 09/2010; 143(1-2):61-6. · 3.01 Impact Factor
  • Article: Diversity and evolution of the microbial populations during manufacture and ripening of Casín, a traditional Spanish, starter-free cheese made from cow's milk.
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    ABSTRACT: Classical culturing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques have been used for studying the microbial diversity and dynamics of the traditional Spanish Casín cheese during manufacturing and ripening. As with other starter-free cheeses made from raw milk, the microbial diversity of Casín was shown to be high by both culturing and DGGE analyses. The culture technique showed that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species constituted the majority of the microbial populations. Of the 14 bacterial species identified, Lactococcus garvieae was predominant in the three-day-old cheese sample, although it was replaced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis at day 30. As expected, the DGGE profiles obtained were complex, consisting, depending on the sample, in five to ten different amplification bands. Among these, a band corresponding to Streptococcus thermophilus was observed throughout the whole manufacturing process. This species had never been identified from traditional Spanish cheeses previously. Culturing and molecular methods showed high populations of undesirable microorganisms, arguing for a required improvement in the hygiene of Casín manufacture. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiling suggested that the L. garvieae and L. lactis populations were composed of one and five strains, respectively. In addition, only a single L. lactis RAPD pattern was stably maintained from day three to day 30, indicating high succession of strains along ripening. After a thoroughly characterisation, strains of the two Lactococcus species could be used in designing specific starter cultures for Casín. Additional species (such as Lactobacillus plantarum and Corynebacterium variabile) might be included as adjunct cultures.
    International journal of food microbiology 09/2009; 136(1):44-51. · 3.01 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2012
    • Polish Academy of Sciences
      • Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics
      Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
  • 2010
    • Spanish National Research Council
      • Dairy Institute of Asturias
      Madrid, Madrid, Spain