Michał Wójcicki

Prof. Wacław Dąbrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology - State Research Institute · Department of Microbiology

Due to the high microbiological contamination of raw food materials and the increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, new methods of ensuring microbiological food safety are being sought. One solution may be to use bacteriophages (so-called phages) as natural bacterial enemies. Therefore, the aim of this study was the biological an...

To improve the quality of poultry meat and increase the health-promoting properties, poultry nutrition used additives such as phytobiotic substances and amino acids. The aim of this study was to analyze the possibility of improving production rates and meat quality by simultaneously supplementing broiler diets with garlic extract and β-alanine. A t...

Poultry meat is a highly esteemed product among consumers. However, the emphasis on increasing body weight has led to a rise in the proportion of rapidly shrinking fibers, adversely affecting the quality and shelf life of poultry meat. With a growing awareness of dietetics among consumers, there is an increasing challenge to produce chicken meat th...

Biogenic amines (BAs) are biologically active substances found in the cells of microorganisms , plants, and animals. These BAs serve many vital functions in the body. However, an excessive amount can be toxic, especially for individuals taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) and diamine oxidase (DAO) inhibitors. They primarily form in products rich in amin...

Fermented food has unique properties and high nutritional value, and thus, should constitute a basic element of a balanced and health-promoting diet. However, it can accumulate considerable amount of biogenic amines (BAs), which ingested in excess can lead to adverse health effects. The application of plant-derived additives represents a promising...

The spoilage of juices by Alicyclobacillus spp. remains a serious problem in industry and leads to economic losses. Compounds such as guaiacol and halophenols, which are produced by Alicyclobacillus, create undesirable flavors and odors and, thus, decrease the quality of juices. The inactivation of Alicyclobacillus spp. constitutes a challenge beca...

Due to irrational antibiotic stewardship, an increase in the incidence of multidrug resistance of bacteria has been observed recently. Therefore, the search for new therapeutic methods for pathogen infection treatment seems to be necessary. One of the possibilities is the utilization of bacteriophages (phages)-the natural enemies of bacteria. Thus,...

Gut microbiota (GM) plays many key functions and helps maintain the host’s health. Consequently, the development of GM cultivation under in vitro stimulating physiological conditions has gained extreme interest in different fields. In this study, we evaluated the impact of four culture media: Gut Microbiota Medium (GMM), Schaedler Broth (SM), Ferme...

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the phage cocktail to improve the microbiological quality of five different mixed-leaf salads: rucola, mixed-leaf salad with carrot, mixed-leaf salad with beetroot, washed and unwashed spinach, during storage in refrigerated conditions. Enterobacterales rods constituted a significant group of bacter...

Obesogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) belong to the group of environmental contaminants, which can adversely affect human health. A growing body of evidence supports that chronic exposure to EDCs can contribute to a rapid increase in obesity among adults and children, especially in wealthy industrialized countries with a high production...

The aim of this study was to isolate phage enzymes and apply them in vitro for eradication of the dominant saprophytic bacteria isolated from minimally processed food. Four bacteriophages—two Enterobacter-specific and two Serratia-specific, which produce lytic enzymes—were used in this research. Two methods of phage enzyme isolation were tested, na...

Salmonella is one of the most important foodborne pathogens. Fifty-three strains of Salmonella deposited in the Culture Collection of Industrial Microorganisms—Microbiological Resources Center (IAFB) were identified using molecular and proteomic analyses. Moreover, the genetic similarity of the tested strains was determined using the PFGE method. M...

Many commercial strains of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species are used around the world in the wine industry, while the use of native yeast strains is highly recommended for their role in shaping specific, terroir-associated wine characteristics. In recent years, in Poland, an increase in the number of registered vineyards has been observed, and...

The food industry is still searching for novel solutions to effectively ensure the microbio-logical safety of food, especially fresh and minimally processed food products. Nowadays, the use of bacteriophages as potential biological control agents in microbiological food safety and preservation is a promising strategy. The aim of the study was the i...

Celem przeprowadzonych badań była izolacja bakteriofagów ze ścieków komunalnych oraz określenie skuteczności ich stosowania jako środka eliminacji wybranych serowarów bakterii z rodzaju Salmonella z żywności minimalnie przetworzonej. Roślinną matrycę żywnościową stanowiły kiełki rzodkiewki. Wyizolowano cztery bakteriofagi specyficzne wobec bakterii...

Background: ood producers strive to meet the changing needs of consumers while maintaining the highest nutritional value of the products they supply. Physicochemical methods, which include modified atmosphere packaging, membrane techniques or ultrasounds, are the most frequently used to preserve food. Alternatively, biological methods can be appli...

Salt concentrations in brine and temperature are the major environmental factors that affect activity of microorganisms and, thus may affect formation of biogenic amines (BAs) during the fermentation process. A model system to ferment cucumbers with low salt (0.5%, 1.5% or 5.0% NaCl) at two temperatures (11 or 23 °C) was used to study the ability o...

Biofilmy bakteryjne występujące w przemyśle spożywczym stanowią złożone, wielogatunkowe grupy zarówno bakterii saprofitycznych, jak i patogennych. Często zlokalizowane są na powierzchniach trudno dostępnych dla środków myjących stosowanych w obiegu zamkniętym, jak i dla mechanicznego czyszczenia. W przemyśle spożywczym biofilmy bakteryjne stanowią...

Zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa żywności to jedno z najważniejszych zadań wielu instytucji o zasięgu międzynarodowym. Ich działalność obejmuje współpracę w zakresie kontroli i analizy jakości produktów spożywczych, mającą na celu ochronę zdrowia konsumentów i racjonalne gospodarowanie dostępnymi zasobami. Obecność amin biogennych w żywności to zagadnien...

Background: the aim of this study was to improve the overall microbiological quality of five different sprouts (alfalfa, kale, lentil, sunflower, radish) using newly isolated bacteriophages. Method: in this study we had isolated from sewage 18 bacteriophages targeting bacteria dominant in sprouts. Five selected bacteriophage strains were photograph...

The widespread use of antibiotics, especially those with a broad spectrum of activity, has resulted in the development of multidrug resistance in many strains of bacteria, including Salmonella. Salmonella is among the most prevalent causes of intoxication due to the consumption of contaminated food and water. Salmonellosis caused by this pathogen i...

Nowadays, people are exposed to diverse environmental and chemical pollutants produced by industry and agriculture. Food contaminations such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals, and mycotoxins are a serious concern for global food safety with economic and public health implications especially in the newly industrialized countries...

Biogenic amines (BAs) are low molecular weight organic bases. BAs occurring naturally in living are responsible for a number of vital functions, including (in humans) secretion of gastric acids, controlling body temperature, differentiation and growth of cells, immune reactions, brain activity. However, if oversupplied with food, BAs may cause food...

Phages were discovered relatively recently – at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The idea of using bacteriophages for therapeutic purposes was promoted by d’Herelle, who conducted the first successful experiments with prokaryotic viruses. Works of contemporary scientists on phage therapy were, however, halted due to the discovery of penicil...