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Bacteriocins: natural ingredients for healthy cows and high-quality milk

Bacteriocins: natural ingredients for healthy cows and high-quality milk

  • Processing/Production
  • In Progress In Progress
Total budget $816,772
Financial partners SaniMarc Olymel Sollio Agriculture Consortium RITA Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ)
Senior researcher Ismail Fliss
Collaborator(s) Julien Chamberland Christophe Cordella Marie-Pierre Létourneau Yixiang Wang Pierre Lacasse
Establishment(s) Université Laval Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada McGill University

Targeted research priorities

Health and welfare of dairy cattle
The aim of this research project is to develop a bacteriocin-based alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of bovine mastitis.

Milk quality
This project aims to develop natural bacteriocin-based ingredients to improve milk quality and reduce the occurrence of defects in cheese-making.

Indicators and control tools
This research focuses on understanding microbial ecosystems to develop early spoilage detection tools for cheese dairies.

Project summary

The main aim of this project is to scale up processes for producing bacteriocins from lactic bacteria. It also aims to demonstrate the efficacy of these ingredients for the dairy sector as an alternative to antibiotics for mastitis prevention, and as a replacement for chemical additives and salt reduction in cheese-making.

Various specific objectives will be achieved in this project::

  1. Develop and optimize processes for the production and purification of bacteriocins and other antimicrobial compounds produced by lactic acid bacteria.
  2. To study the feasibility and compatibility of different bacteriocin-based formulas for the prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis.
  3. Study the effectiveness of different formulas developed in cheese matrices to limit defects caused by the bacterial genera Clostridium and Paenibacillus.
  4. Carry out a techno-economic study to determine the costs of producing and using antimicrobial ingredients in the various target sectors.

Expected results

At the end of this project, new knowledge and industrial processes will be developed on the production of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria and their potential as natural antimicrobials in the dairy sector. High value-added products will also be developed, including antibacterial and antifungal additives for food applications, as well as formulas for the treatment and prevention of bovine mastitis.

Techno-economic data will be generated to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of these ingredients in trials with various dairy matrices. These data will be crucial for the approval of these ingredients by regulatory agencies such as Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and for their use as new feed additives or as alternatives to antibiotics.

Main achievements

  • Training of two postdoctoral fellows, three doctoral students, one master’s student and three undergraduate trainees
  • Presentation of results at the Forum Techno and Novalait annual meeting
  • Lectures and poster presentations at national and international conferences
  • Scientific articles written by team members