Πιλοτικό Εργαστήριο

Μία πύλη προς νέες βιοτεχνολογικές εφαρμογές

Το πιλοτικό μας εργαστήριο αποτελεί έναν δυναμικό χώρο όπου η επιστήμη και η καινοτομία συναντώνται για να δημιουργήσουν λύσεις με πραγματικό αντίκτυπο. Με προηγμένο εξοπλισμό και μια αφοσιωμένη ομάδα επιστημόνων, εξερευνούμε τις ανεξάντλητες δυνατότητες των μονοκύτταρων μικροοργανισμών, συμβάλλοντας στην ανάπτυξη εφαρμογών που ωφελούν την υγεία, τη γεωργία, το περιβάλλον και τη βιομηχανία.

Δυνατότητες και Εφαρμογές

Οι μικροοργανισμοί αποτελούν έναν ανεκτίμητο πόρο με πολυδιάστατες εφαρμογές στην σύγχρονη οικονομία. Στο εργαστήριό μας, διερευνούμε και αναπτύσσουμε νέες χρήσεις των μικροοργανισμών σε ποικίλους τομείς. Βασικά μας ενδιαφέροντα αποτελούν:

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Υγεία και
Διατροφή

Χαρακτηρισμός νέων στελεχών με ωφέλιμες ιδιότητες για τον άνθρωπο, τα οποία μπορούν να ενσωματωθούν σε λειτουργικά τρόφιμα, συμπληρώματα διατροφής και δερμοκαλλυντικά προϊόντα.

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Γεωργία και κτηνοτροφία

Μελέτη μικροοργανισμών που βελτιώνουν την υγεία των φυτών και των ζώων, ενισχύοντας την αντοχή τους και προάγοντας τη βιώσιμη γεωργική πρακτική.

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Περιβάλλον και Ενέργεια

Χρήση μικροοργανισμών σε βιοδιεργασίες που συμβάλλουν στην αποκατάσταση του περιβάλλοντος, την παραγωγή βιοκαυσίμων και την αποτελεσματική διαχείριση αποβλήτων.

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Βιομηχανία Τροφίμων και Ποτών

Βελτίωση παραδοσιακών διαδικασιών ζύμωσης και παραγωγής, μέσω της χρήσης εξειδικευμένων μικροοργανισμών που ενισχύουν την ποιότητα και μειώνουν το κόστος παραγωγής.

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Βιοτεχνολογία και Φαρμακευτική

Εξερεύνηση μικροοργανισμών για την παραγωγή βιοενεργών συστατικών, ενζύμων και άλλων μορίων με εφαρμογές στη φαρμακευτική και τη βιομηχανία βιοτεχνολογίας.

Πρόσκληση για Συνεργασία

Κατανοώντας τη σημασία των μικροοργανισμών σε ένα ευρύ φάσμα βιομηχανιών, είμαστε ανοιχτοί σε νέες συνεργασίες με ερευνητικούς φορείς, πανεπιστήμια και επιχειρήσεις. Στόχος μας είναι να συμβάλουμε στην προώθηση της έρευνας και της καινοτομίας, διευρύνοντας το πεδίο εφαρμογής των μικροοργανισμών και ανακαλύπτοντας νέες λύσεις που ωφελούν την οικονομία και την κοινωνία.

Περισσότερα

Γιατί να συνεργαστείτε με εμάς

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Εξειδίκευση και Εμπειρία:

Έχουμε συμμετάσχει σε πολυάριθμα επιτυχημένα ερευνητικά προγράμματα.

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Σύγχρονες Εγκαταστάσεις:

Διαθέτουμε εκτεταμένο δίκτυο σε ερευνητικούς και επιχειρηματικούς κύκλους.

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Ευελιξία και Προσαρμογή:

Ενσωματώνουμε τις τελευταίες τάσεις και τεχνολογίες στις προτάσεις μας.

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Δέσμευση στην Καινοτομία:

Επικεντρωνόμαστε στην επίτευξη απτών αποτελεσμάτων.

Επιστημονικές Δημοσιεύσεις

Στο πλαίσιο της αφοσίωσής μας στην έρευνα και την προώθηση της επιστημονικής γνώσης, η ομάδα μας έχει δημοσιεύσει μια σειρά από επιστημονικά άρθρα σε διεθνή περιοδικά υψηλού κύρους. Οι δημοσιεύσεις μας αντικατοπτρίζουν την ποιότητα της εργασίας μας και συμβάλλουν στην εξέλιξη του τομέα των μικροοργανισμών. Κάθε άρθρο έχει υποβληθεί σε αυστηρή αξιολόγηση από ανεξάρτητους επιστήμονες, διασφαλίζοντας την αξιοπιστία και την εγκυρότητα των ευρημάτων μας.

 

Παρακάτω μπορείτε να βρείτε μια λίστα με τις πιο πρόσφατες δημοσιεύσεις μας, που καλύπτουν θέματα όπως ο χαρακτηρισμός νέων στελεχών μικροοργανισμών, οι εφαρμογές τους στην υγεία, τη γεωργία, το περιβάλλον και άλλους τομείς.

Background/Objectives: The gut microbiota is linked to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), while supplementation with probiotics may result in positive alterations in the composition of the gut microbiome. This research aimed to map the changes in the gut microbiome and blood markers of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after a dietary intervention with free or immobilized cells of the presumptive probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici SK on pistachio nuts. Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were studied and divided into four groups (healthy or diabetic) which received the free or the immobilized P. acidilactici SK cells on pistachio nuts for 4 weeks. Blood, fecal, and intestinal tissue samples were examined. Results: The diabetic rats exhibited an elevated concentration of HDL-c, while the inflammatory IL-1β levels were significantly lower in the diabetic animals that received the immobilized cells compared to the group that received the free cells. The dietary intervention with immobilized cells led to decreased counts of fecal staphylococci and enterococci in the diabetic animals, while the diet with both free and immobilized P. acidilactici SK cells rendered levels of these populations in normal values in the feces and intestinal tissue of the diabetic animals. Noticeably, the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera were elevated after the supplementation with immobilized P. acidilactici SK cells on pistachio nuts. Conclusions: Dietary supplementation with P. acidilactici SK cells (in free or in immobilized form) beneficially affected the gut microbiota/microbiome of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, leading to the alleviation of dysbiosis and inflammation and control over their lipid levels.
Link
I Prapa,
A Yanni,
V Kompoura,
G Mitropoulou,
P Panas,
N Kostomitsopoulos,
Y Kourkoutas,
Nutrients 2024, 16 (23), 4221
As the food and pharmaceutical industry is continuously seeking new probiotic strains with unique health properties, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of short-term dietary intervention with novel wild-type strains, isolated from various sources, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance. Initially, the strains were evaluated in vitro for their ability to survive in simulated gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, for adhesion to Caco-2 cells, for bile salt hydrolase secretion, for cholesterol-lowering and cellular cholesterol-binding ability, and for growth inhibition of food-borne pathogens. In addition, safety criteria were assessed, including hemolytic activity and susceptibility to antibiotics. The in vivo test on insulin resistance showed that mice receiving the HFD supplemented with Pediococcus acidilactici SK (isolated from human feces) or P. acidilactici OLS3-1 strain (isolated from olive fruit) exhibited significantly improved insulin resistance compared to HFD-fed mice or to the normal diet (ND)-fed group. Keywords: probiotics; Pediococcus; Lactiplantibacillus; obesity; insulin resistance; type2 diabetes; high-fat diet
Link
P Somalou,
E Ieronymaki,
K Feidaki,
I Prapa,
E Stylianopoulou,
6/2024 // Microorganisms 12 (2), 231
Designing stable dried functional food ingredients and foods containing live probiotic cultures maintaining high viable cell loads at the time of consumption is a challenge for the industry. The aim of the present study was the development of stable freeze-dried functional food ingredients with enhanced shelf-life during long storage. Zea flakes, pistachios, and raisins were used as immobilization supports for the wild-type presumptive probiotic strains Pediococcus acidilactici SK and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum F4, while L. plantarum B282 was used as a reference strain. Cell survival was monitored during storage at room and refrigerated temperatures for up to 6 months. Levels of freeze-dried cultures were maintained up to 7.2 logcfu/g after 6 months storage at room temperature and up to 8.5 logcfu/g at refrigerator temperature, in contrast to free cell levels that ranged <7 logcfu/mL, suggesting the positive effects of immobilization and freeze-drying on cell viability. Of note, levels of freeze-dried immobilized P. acidilactici SK cells on zea flakes and pistachios remained stable after 6 months of storage at 4 °C, ranging 8.1–8.5 logcfu/g (survival rates 98.2 and 99.7%, respectively). The technology developed presents important advantages for the maintenance of cell viability during storage, assuring stability of ready-to-use functional food ingredients that could be directly incorporated in food systems.
Link
I Prapa,
A Nikolaou,
P Panas,
C Tassou,
Y Kourkoutas,
Applied Sciences 13 (1), 630
Nowadays, the use of antimicrobial natural agents as alternative food preservatives represents an intriguing case. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible antimicrobial activity of Pistacia lentiscus and Fortunella margarita essential oils (EOs) and to evaluate their commercial potential in the food industry. The main constituents identified by GC/MS in Pistacia lentiscus EO were a-pinene (67.7%), myrcene (18.8%), and β-pinene (3.0%), whereas limonene (93.8%) and myrcene (2.7%) were the dominant compounds in Fortunella margarita EO. The antimicrobial properties were initially assayed and the minimum inhibitory, non-inhibitory, and minimum lethal concentration values against the Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas fragi, Aspergillus niger, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were determined using a previously published model, combining absorbance measurements with the common dilution method and non-linear regression analysis to fit the data. Their efficiency was further validated in ice cream containing 0.2% (w/w) Pistacia lentiscus, 0.006% (w/w) Fortunella margarita EOs and 2% (w/w) aqueous residue of F. margarita EO deliberately inoculated with 4 logcfu/g Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes or Pseudomonas fragi, separately. Similarly, the activity of the oils was monitored in fruit juice (lemon, apple, and blackcurrant) containing 0.2% (w/w) Pistacia lentiscus, 0.006% (w/w) Fortunella margarita EOs and 2% (w/w) aqueous residue of F. margarita EO deliberately spiked with 100 spores/mL of Aspergillus niger or 4 logcfu/mL of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, separately. The results showed that microbial viable counts in the supplemented products ranged at significantly lower levels compared to the control samples during storage. Overall, the data indicated that both EOs constitute effective antimicrobial sources with many potent applications in the food industry.
Link
G Mitropoulou,
H Bardouki,
M Vamvakias,
P Panas,
P Paraskevas,
Microbiology Research 13 (3), 667-680
The aim of the present study was to assess the commercial potential of the Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum essential oil (OEO) as a natural intrinsic hurdle against common spoilage and pathogenic microbes in tomato juice. The main volatile compounds of the OEO identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis were thymol and carvacrol, accounting for approximately 48% and 27%, respectively. Its activity against common food spoilage and pathogenic microbes was confirmed and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), non-inhibitory concentration (NIC), and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) values were determined. OEO effectiveness was further validated in commercial tomato juice. Supplementation of tomato juice with OEO at concentrations lower than the MIC (350 ppm) resulted in significant delay of food spoilage and extension of the product’s shelf-life, as well as in inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium difficile, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aspergillus niger growth after deliberate inoculation in both room and refrigerated temperatures. In conclusion, the results suggested that OEO may be used as an efficient intrinsic inhibitor of food spoilage and growth of pathogenic microbes in tomato juice.
Link
G Mitropoulou,
A Oreopoulou,
E Papavassilopoulou,
M Vamvakias,
P Panas,
S Fragkias,
Y Kourkoutas,
Applied Microbiology 1 (1), 1-10
An increasing trend in developing novel functional food ingredients containing probiotic microorganisms tailored for maintenance of digestive health is witnessed today. In this vein, the use of natural food components, containing prebiotic dietary fibers and associated with health effects, as immobilization supports for selected wild-type probiotic strains isolated by traditional fermented foods and human samples, directing at preparation of readily processable functional food ingredients targeting maintenance of digestive health was of interest. The technology developed is expected to result in successful marketable "ready-to-use" beneficial constitutents previously tested in a series of food applications, achieving enhanced probiotic cell viability during processing and storage, as well as during digestion.
Link
V Santarmaki,
I Prapa,
G Mitropoulou,
M Lola,
G Fisekis,
I Stylianopoulou,
AgroFOOD Industry Hi Tech 3 (31), 23-25
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