Harnessing ecological niche modeling of Listeria monocytogenes for biopreservation system engineering

Biopreservation is a microbiome engineering technology based on the use of microorganisms as protective cultures and/or their metabolites, which can be used to mitigate the presence of pathogens in food. This study explores the potential of ecological niche modeling to guide the selection of biopreservation candidates. A luminescent strain of Listeria monocytogenes was utilized in a multivariate high-throughput competition assay, assessing a combination of abiotic factors (i.e. glucose, NaCl, pH in a factorial design) and biotic variables (i.e. various competing microorganisms). The resulting data were analyzed using two parallel methods: k-means clustering and Response Surface Modeling (RSM). Integrating the outputs of these approaches allowed for grouping competitors based on both inhibition strength and niche modeling characteristics. Competitors were categorized into five groups, distinguished by their inhibition levels against L. monocytogenes and the shape of their response surfaces, with some groups displaying complementary features. Weighted Niche Reduction (WNR) calculations derived from model predictions identified the strain combination Carnobacterium maltaromaticum CP14 and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides PTF6 as having enhanced inhibitory properties. This study highlights promising possibilities for the bottom-up engineering of synthetic communities for biopreservation applications.