GDS® 3349®

The facts

Competitive exclusion

There is a principle known as Competitive Exclusion:

Two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist with a constant population size! If one species has even the slightest advantage over the other, the one with the advantage will dominate in the long run.

We have taken advantage of the principle of competitive exclusion to establish a defined, controlled microflora on products:

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Protection from pathogens

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Exclusion of spoilage agents

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Stable product

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Extended shelf life

The vision

Hero wanted

We are looking for THAT ONE good strain that has the advantage over all the other bacteria and can successfully prevail over the others.

Good bacteria are defined as any that...

  • have no effect on the sensory properties of the product, i.e. smell, taste and colour.
  • are not harmful to humans (they meet QPS criteria)
  • can grow at low temperatures, such as in the refrigerator

 

Finding the hero

But where?

Nature is always so creative. For this reason, we were most likely to find a strain like this in its natural habitat.

In this case, in cooked ham, where it is found as a part of the natural microflora.

Our idea

Cooked ham

Cooked ham is considered a habitat for bacteria. Both good bacteria and pathogenic bacteria that cause spoiling live there, competing for the available nutrients they need in order to grow.

The mission

The hunt begins

01 The plan

Since that one perfect germ is part of the natural microflora of cooked ham, we searched for products that smelled and tasted good after the ´best before´ date had elapsed, in which no slime or gas had developed inside the packaging, but which still contained a very high numer of micro-organisms. We took a closer look at the products that met all these criteria, examining the micro-organisms of these products. Many of them were discarded immediately because we knew they were not one of the good germs.

02 Narrowing the ranks

A total of 50 lactid acid bacteria strains were left over.

More information had to be gathered about these still completely unknown germs. In addition to testing for safety (do they meet the EFSA´s QPS criteria and are they safe for humans at high concentrations?), the effects of the individual strains on the sensory characteristics of the products were studied.

Just 5 germs remained standing.

03 The finalists

The selected 5 were thoroughly examined again: a metagenomic analysis followed.

The 5 finalists were added to cooked ham - their natural habitat - in quantities that were high enough (CFU 1x105/g) to give them an advantage in access to the available nutrient resources. The finalists had a period of 14 days of competition at a pleasant 4–7 °C to demonstrate their dominant performance.

They did this by reproducing and, as a result, driving out other bacteria (i.e., through competitive exclusion).

The race started out neck and neck, but one finalist managed to gain a growing lead over its competitors, clearly winning the battle for the cooked ham with decisive dominance of ca. 98–99 % (ca. 5x109/g).

900

tests in 5 European countries

73 %

of the tests showed organoleptic differences or had a germ density that was too low.

27 %

of the tests met the criteria and had no conspicuous organoleptic issues.

550

germs that dominated among the bacterial flora after the best ´before date´ had passed were isolated.

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strains were then chosen and comprehensively tested for suitability as a protective culture.

5

strains were thoroughly examined again with metagenomic analysis.

And the winner is:

GDS® 3349®

The latest benchmark for

Bioprotection 2.0 for cooked ham & bacon

What makes it so unique?

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Bio Protection 2.0

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…for cooked ham & bacon

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…is substrate-specific

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Attractive price

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World first

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…is considered a food ingredient

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…dominated by competitive inhibition

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...no bacteriocins

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Clean Label

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Sensory better

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Protection against listeria

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Biological

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Stable pH value

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No color change

GDS® 3349®

What can the new one?

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No bacteriocins

Proven not to form bacteriocins

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It dominates the microflora

...in the product through competitive exclusion

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Protection against listeria

Prompts a log reduction in listeria in cooked ham & bacon

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Not an additive

It is not regarded as an additive: It can be listed as “lactic acid or a protective culture”

Experts for competent advice