Modelling the competitive growth between Listeria monocytogenes and biofilm microflora of smear cheese wooden shelves

Laurent Guillier (1) , V. Stahl (2) , B. Hezard (2) , E. Notz (3) , Romain Briandet (1)

1 BHM - Bioadhésion et Hygiène des Matériaux
2 Aérial - Centre de Ressources Technologiques et Institut Technique Agro-Industriel
3 Institut Technique du Lait et des Produits Laitiers

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of the observed inhibition of Usteria monocytogenes by the natural biofilm microflora (BM) on wooden shelves used in the ripening of a soft and smear cheese. For this, BM was harvested and we conducted a series of experiments in which two strains of L monocytogenes were co-cultured with BM on glass fiber filters deposited on model cheeses. Compared to monoculture, L. monocytogenes growth rate in co-culture was not reduced but the growth of the pathogen stopped as soon as BM entered the stationary phase. This reduction in maximum population density can be explained by nutrient consumption and exhaustion by BM as no production of inhibitors by BM has been detected. This mechanism of pathogen inhibition has been previously described as the "Jameson effect".

Mots clés: Jameson effect; Microbial interaction; Cheese ripening; Biofilm

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Laurent Guillier, V. Stahl, B. Hezard, E. Notz, Romain Briandet. Modelling the competitive growth between Listeria monocytogenes and biofilm microflora of smear cheese wooden shelves. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 2008, 128 (1), pp.51-57. ⟨10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2008.06.028⟩. ⟨hal-01606918⟩