EFSA is requested to assess the safety of a broad range of biological agents in the context of notifications for market authorisation as sources of food and feed additives, enzymes and plant protection products. The qualified presumption of safety (QPS) assessment was developed to provide a harmonised generic pre-assessment to support safety risk assessments performed by EFSA’s scientific Panels. The safety of unambiguously defined biological agents (at the highest taxonomic unit appropriate for the purpose for which an application is intended), and the completeness of the body of knowledge are assessed. Identified safety concerns for a taxonomic unit are, where possible and reasonable in number, reflected as ‘qualifications’ in connection with a recommendation for a QPS status. The list of QPS recommended biological agents is reviewed and updated periodically. Therefore, the only valid list is the one in the most recently published scientific opinion. The 2013 update reviews previously assessed microorganisms including bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, oomycetes and viruses used for plant protection purposes. All taxonomic units previously recommended for the QPS list had their status reconfirmed. The new notifications since the last QPS update were reviewed. Gluconobacter oxydans and Alphaflexiviridae were assessed for the first time and were recommended for the QPS list. The information of the previous opinion was updated for the taxonomic units on the QPS list. Qualifications for the taxonomic units included in the QPS recommended list were reviewed and confirmed. Filamentous fungi and enterococci were not recommended for the QPS list following updating and reviewing of current scientific knowledge. © European Food Safety Authority, 2013

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EFSA BIOHAZ Panel (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards), 2013. Scientific Opinion on the maintenance of the list of QPS biological agents intentionally added to food and feed (2013 update)

Fish intestinal mucosal surfaces comprise of a complex and dynamic community of microorganisms, which play important roles within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Of the bacteria colonising the GI tract, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), are generally considered as favourable bacteria due to their abilities to stimulating host GI development, digestive function, maintaining mucosal tolerance, stimulating immune response and provide protection towards bacterial pathogens. In early finfish studies culture-dependent methods were used to enumerate bacterial population levels within the GI tract; members of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Streptococcus and Carnobacterium genera were isolated. However, due to limitations by using culture media, techniques such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), temporal temperature gradient electrophoresis (TTGE), 16S rRNA clone libraries, and MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA genes have been used during the last decade. These investigations have revealed the presence of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Carnobacterium, Weissella and Pediococcus as indigenous species. In the GI tract of warm water fish species, members of the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Weissella and Pediococcus have commonly been identified, however, Carnobacterium are rarely identified. Numerous strains of LAB isolated from finfish are capable of producing antibacterial substances against different potential fish pathogenic bacteria as well as human pathogens. In addition, many LAB have the ability to inhibit growth of closely related bacteria including strains of carnobacteria, lactobacilli, lactococci, leuconostoc and pediococci. LAB are revealed be the most promising bacterial genera as probiotic in aquaculture. During the decade increasing number of research attempts are performed on evaluation of probiotic properties of different genus and species of LAB. Except limited contradictory reports, most of administered strains showed beneficial effects on growth performance, reproductive performance, immune responses and disease resistance of finfish. This eventually led to industrial scale up and introduction LAB-based commercial probiotics. Pathogenic LAB such as members of the genera Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Carnobacterium and Lactococcus have been detected from ascites, kidney, liver, heart and spleen of several finfish species. These pathogenic bacteria will be addressed in present review which includes their impacts on finfish aquaculture, possible routes for treatment.

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Lactic Acid Bacteria in Finfish—An Update

Shellfish is a major component of global seafood production. Specific items include shrimp, lobsters, oysters, mussels, scallops, clams, crabs, krill, crayfish, squid, cuttlefish, snails, abalone, and others. Shellfish, in general, contain appreciable quantities of digestible proteins, essential amino acids, bioactive peptides, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, astaxanthin and other carotenoids, vitamin B12 and other vitamins, minerals, including copper, zinc, inorganic phosphate, sodium, potassium, selenium, iodine, and also other nutrients, which offer a variety of health benefits to the consumer. Although shellfish are generally safe for consumption, their exposure to diverse habitats, the filter feeding nature of shellfish such as oysters, clams, and mussels, and unhealthy farming and handling practices may occasionally entail health risks because of possible presence of various hazards. These hazards include pathogenic organisms, parasites, biotoxins, industrial and environmental pollutants, heavy metals, process-related additives such as antibiotics and bisulfite, and also presence of allergy-causing compounds in their bodies. Most of the hazards can be addressed by appropriate preventive measures at various stages of harvesting, farming, processing, storage, distribution, and consumption. Furthermore, consumer safety of shellfish and other seafood items is strictly monitored by international, governmental, and local public health organizations. This article highlights the nutritional value and health benefits of shellfish items and points out the various control measures to safeguard consumer safety with respect to the products.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12312

Shellfish: nutritive value, health benefits, and consumer safety.

Food-borne microorganisms are major pathogens affecting food safety and cause human illness worldwide as a result of consumption of foodstuff, mainly animal products contaminated with vegetative pathogens or their toxins Most of these microbes have zoonotic importance resulting in significant impact on both public health and economic sectors Bacteria are the causative agents of two-thirds of human food-borne diseases worldwide with high burden in developing countries Hence, the objectives of this review paper are to highlight the background of food-borne bacterial pathogens and to review common major food-borne zoonotic bacterial pathogens Food animals are the major reservoirs of many food-borne zoonotic bacterial pathogens, and food products of animal origin are the main vehicles of transmission Meat, dairy products, and eggs are the main ways by which people are exposed to zoonotic bacteria S aureus, Salmonella species, Campylobacter species, L monocytogenes, and E coli are the major zoonotic bacterial pathogens which are the causative agents of food-borne illness and death in the world associated with consumption of contaminated animal products Production of toxins and structural virulent factors are responsible for the pathogenesis of these bacteria These major zoonotic bacteria cause human infections which are characterized mainly by gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and other agent-specific symptoms Some bacteria may cause severe complications Conventional (culturing), serological, and molecular techniques are important for detection of these common zoonotic bacteria and their toxins in food Good hygiene, GMP, sanitation in operating procedures, and implementation of standardized HACCP and pasteurization procedures are effective methods for the control and prevention Currently, the emergence of multidrug-resistant zoonotic bacteria associated with consumption of contaminated animal products is a great concern for the public health, and there should be coordinated surveillance and monitoring system for food-borne zoonotic bacterial pathogens particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia

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Review on Major Food-Borne Zoonotic Bacterial Pathogens

This study addressed the issue of the dietary supplements; probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotics considered as functional food ingredients in sturgeon aquaculture. Developments of this strategy have been suggested and practiced as an alternative to antibiotic administration in aquaculture. Sturgeons are commercially valuable species due to their meet and roe, which is made into caviar. Aquaculture of sturgeons up to marketable size has increased during the last decade while disquieting decreases have been noticed of the natural populations. In line with the expand evaluations of microbial dietary supplements and prebiotics in finfish and shellfish aquaculture, the scientific community has also increased their interest in approaches to these issues in sturgeon aquaculture. The present review summarizes and discusses the results on intestinal microbiota of sturgeon species and the effects of probiotic, prebiotic or synbiotic administration on growth performance, gut physiology, intestinal microbiota, immune response and health. Furthermore, this study tries to cover the gaps of existing knowledge and suggest issues that merits further investigations.

Probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic supplements in sturgeon aquaculture: a review

Biopreservation is a powerful and natural tool to extend shelf life and to enhance the safety of foods by applying naturally occurring microorganisms and/or their inherent antibacterial compounds of defined quality and at certain quantities. In this context, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) possess a major potential for use in biopreservation because most LAB are generally recognized as safe, and they naturally dominate the microflora of many foods. The antagonistic and inhibitory properties of LAB are due to different factors such as the competition for nutrients and the production of one or more antimicrobially active metabolites such as organic acids (prevailingly lactic and acetic acid), hydrogen peroxide, and antimicrobial peptides (bacteriocins). This review addresses various aspects related to the biological preservation of seafood and seafood products by LAB and their metabolites.

Seafood biopreservation by lactic acid bacteria – A review

With the increased demand for lightly preserved and/or ready-to-eat (RTE) food products, the prevalence of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes has increased, which is a public health concern. The goal for this review is to discuss the incidence, epidemiological importance, and contamination routes of L. monocytogenes in vari- ous aquatic ecosystems, seafood products, and processing environments and to summarize the data obtained since the 1990s. L. monocytogenes primarily enters the food-production chain by cross-contamination in production plants, making this pathogen a major threat to the seafood industry. This pathogen generally contaminates food products at low or moderate levels, but the levels involved in listeriosis outbreaks are significantly higher. The majority of isolates from aquatic products belong to serotype 1/2a, and outbreaks have been linked to highly similar or even indistinguishable strains. Several seafood-processing plants are colonized by specific "in-house" flora containing special DNA subtypes of L. monocytogenes. In such cases, L. monocytogenes populations can persist and/or multiply despite the inherent obstacles to their growth in food preservation and manufacturing operations. Therefore, food-processing facilities must be designed carefully with an emphasis on effective cleaning and disinfecting operations in the production line.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12092

Listeria monocytogenes in Aquatic Food Products—A Review

Antimicrobial activity and partial characterization of bacteriocins produced by lactobacilli isolated from Sturgeon fish

Phylogenetic diversity and biological activity of culturable Actinobacteria isolated from freshwater fish gut microbiota

© 2013 Ghanbari and Jami, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Bacteriocins: A Promising Approach to Seafood Biopreservation

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Mansooreh Jami

Papers

Seafood biopreservation by lactic acid bacteria – A review

Listeria monocytogenes in Aquatic Food Products—A Review

Antimicrobial activity and partial characterization of bacteriocins produced by lactobacilli isolated from Sturgeon fish

Phylogenetic diversity and biological activity of culturable Actinobacteria isolated from freshwater fish gut microbiota

Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Bacteriocins: A Promising Approach to Seafood Biopreservation