Objectives & Contents

The course is organized in three different but interconnected independent modules, as well as an international workshop whose presentations can be considered as an additional module (Module I').
It is allowed to participate to one or more modules, including Module I' (workshop), to be held at CCT-CONICET, and whose program is available on the devoted webpage.

Module I: Biotechnology and bioprocess engineering (30 hours)

• Objective: To produce competent scientists in upstream bioprocesses, through a combination of theoretical and practical experience

Bioprocesses include upstream and downstream processes that aim at producing biomass, biomolecules and building blocks for food, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. They include upstream processes that use living cells (mainly microorganisms) to obtain desired products from biosynthesis or bioconversion, and downstream processes that aim at extracting, separating and purifying the required products.
The course is designed to introduce students to the concepts, methods and applications of bioprocesses, through theoretical classes and exercises, on the following topics: microbial growth and product formation by microorganisms, measurement and quantification of growth and bioproduction, nutrient limitation, substrate and product inhibition, basic function and specificities of bioreactors, bioprocess design for batch, fed‐batch and chemostat cultures. Numerous examples will help the students to understand the theoretical concepts, together with a practical work. As a central example, the lactic acid fermentation will be studied, with the aim of producing lactic acid bacteria or other interesting biomolecules.

Module I': Prebiotics: Obtaining, characterization and properties of oligosaccharides (15 hours)

• Objective: To provide information about the last advances in the obtaining of fructo and galacto-oligosaccharides (FOS, GOS)

The Workshop is organized within the scope of the European project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017. (2018-2021). "Preservation of microorganisms by understanding the protective mechanisms of oligosaccharides" (PREMIUM) Code: 777657, to be held at CCT-CONICET La Plata, on 11-13th March 2019.

Module II: Biochemistry and biophysics of lipid membranes (15 hours)

• Objective: To provide information about the mechanisms involved in the behavior of lactic acid bacteria on dehydration processes: biophysical processes and use of computational tools

This module is devoted to understand the molecular mechanisms beyond the protective effect of polyhydroxy compounds during dehydration processes. Particular emphasis will be put into model membranes and their limits for studying dehydration processes, as well as their characterization, specifically in what concerns the water interface. Manipulation and extraction of protein membranes. Separative techniques for lipids and proteins at the laboratory scale. Molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers will be also addressed (Elements of computer simulation of the interactions of oligosaccharides with lipid bilayer membranes by molecular dynamics).

Module III: Functionalities of microbial ecosystems of traditional fermented foods (15 hours)

• Objective: To provide a deep insight on the functionalities of microbial ecosystems of traditional fermented foods, with focus on ripened cheeses

This module is devoted to the microbial ecosystems of traditional fermented products, with focus on cheese technology (diversity of substrates, diversity and origins of species involved in the microbial ecosystems, flavor generation by microorganisms in cheeses, and other functionalities of cheese microbial ecosystems.

Speakers

Coordinator: Andrea Gómez-Zavaglia (CIDCA, Argentina, 1 hour)

Teachers:

• Catherine Béal (Profesor, AgroParisTech, France, 30 hours)
• Eric Spinnler (Profesor AgroParisTech, France, 15 hours)
• Yann Gohon (Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique, France, 9 hours)
• Marie Hélène Ropers (Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique, France, 3 hours)
• Pedro Nuno Simões (Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal, 3 hours)
• Paula Castilho (Universidade da Madeira, Portugal, 1 hour)
• María Elvira Zuñiga-Hansen (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Chile, 1 hour)
• Andrés Illanes (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile, 1 hour)
• Jorge Chirife (Universidad Católica Argentina, 1 hour)
• Jesús Simal-Gándara (Universidad de Vigo, Argentina, 1 hour)

Detailed schedule

References

• Doran P.M. (2012). Bioprocess engineering principles. Academic Press Ltd.
• Mozzi F., Raya R.R., Vignolo G.M. (eds.) (2016). Biotechnology of Lactic Acid Bacteria: Novel Applications, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
• Shuler M.L., Kargi F. (2002). Bioprocess engineering ‐ basic concepts. 2nd edition, Prentice Hall.
• D. Montet and RC Rey Ed. (2015). Fermented Foods, Part I: Biochemistry and Biotechnology. CRC Press -Taylor & Francis.
• D. Montet and RC Rey Ed., CRC Press -Taylor & Francis (2017). Fermented Foods, Part II: Technological Interventions.
• P. McSweeney, P. Fox, P. Cotter, D. Everett. Cheese: chemistry, Physics and Microbiology. (2017) 1302p – Elsevier (Amsterdam).
• A. Eck and JC Gillis (Editors). Cheesemaking from science to Quality Insurance. (2000), Lavoisier (Paris).
• N. Bou-Rabee (2014). Time Integrators for Molecular Dynamics. Entropy. 16: 138-162.