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Members holdings

Group(s) of biological resources stored in the collection: bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi.

  • The ITEM Agri-Food Microbial Collection is an internationally recognized, ISO 9001:2015-certified culture collection (Certificate No. 35674/17/S), hosted at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA) of the National Research Council (CNR) in Bari, Italy. It is one of the largest collections dedicated to agri-food microorganisms.

  • With a repository of over 14,000 strains of filamentous fungi, yeasts, and bacteria, ITEM provides approximately 9,000 strains as public resources for the scientific community. The collection features a rich diversity of fungi, particularly from the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Alternaria and Penicillium - a valuable asset for research on fungal biology, pathogenicity, and mycotoxin production.

  • ITEM also holds yeast strains and lactic acid bacteria strains, many of which are native to the Apulia region and have been characterized for their roles in the fermentation of traditional wines, table olives, and dairy products.

  • The collection has played an active role in European initiatives such as MIRRI (2012–2015), IS-MIRRI21 (2020–2024), and the PNRR SUS-MIRRI.IT project (2022-2026), which has strengthened ITEM infrastructure with advanced technologies for high-throughput strain identification and long-term preservation.

  • ITEM promotes open science and data accessibility through a public and interoperable database ( https://item.bio-aware.com/), which offers detailed biological, molecular, chemical, and structural information on its microbial strains.

    • Services offered

  • Safe deposit of cultures
  • The ITEM offers a confidential safe deposit service for those valuable cultures for which patent protection has not been sought. Cultures will be stored frozen (below -150° C) and/or on agar.

  • Public Deposit and preservation of cultures in the public collection.
  • Cultures can be deposited in the public collection and are available for any third parties. Cultures will be stored frozen (below -150° C)

  • Distribution of fungal
  • Distribution of fungal strain to scientific community and private sector for scientific/research purposes

  • Strain Characterization
  • Molecular identification of microbial strains
  • Molecular identification of filamentous fungi, yeasts, and bacteria based on DNA extraction from pure cultures and sequencing of selected genetic marker genes. Downstream bioinformatic analyses include multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis.

  • Metabolomic profiling of microbial strains
  • Metabolomic profiling of microorganisms conducted using high-resolution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), employing both targeted and untargeted analytical approaches. Raw data are processed using Compound Discoverer software, and results are delivered to the client as a curated list of identified and annotated metabolites.

    • Research

  • Research activities associated with the ITEM Culture Collection at ISPA are primarily devoted to the study of microorganisms of agricultural and food relevance. Particular emphasis is placed on filamentous fungi, especially toxigenic species, with investigations focusing on their biodiversity, phylogenetic relationships, and population genetics. The collection represents a key resource for understanding the diversity, evolution, and ecological roles of these organisms.
  • Within this framework, research efforts are directed toward the identification and characterization of toxigenic fungi and the assessment of risks related to mycotoxin contamination. Significant work is also dedicated to the development of innovative molecular tools, including specific probes and advanced diagnostic methods, to enhance the detection and monitoring of microbial contamination in agro-food systems.
  • In addition to filamentous fungi, studies also encompass autochthonous yeasts and bacteria involved in food fermentations, particularly in wine, dairy, and bread production. Special attention is given to the selection and characterization of strains with potential probiotic properties, contributing to the development of functional foods and the valorization of traditional fermentation processes.
  • The ITEM Culture Collection also supports the development of advanced methodologies for the isolation, characterization, and quantification of microbial metabolites, alongside research on innovative strategies for mycotoxin detoxification.
  • More recently, ITEM research has been increasingly oriented toward the conservation and preservation of the functional potential of microbiomes associated with agro-food matrices, aiming to safeguard microbial biodiversity and its applications in food quality, safety, and sustainability.

  • Main recently projects involving ITEM:
  • 1) Strengthening the MIRRI Italian Research Infrastructure for Sustainable Bioscience and Bioeconomy – (SUS-MIRRI.IT) Area ESFRI “Health and Food”, granted by the European Commission – NextGenerationEU Code N◦ IR0000005 (2022-2026)
  • 2) Eu-Au Partnership for Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Food Systems for Everyone – (UP-RISE) N° 101136649 HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01 - HORIZON-RIA (2024-2027)
  • 3) MYMATCH MYcotoxin MAnagement platform To face Climate change impact on food safety and Human Health - Project 101181208 HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-01-4 (2024-2028)
  • 4) MIRRI-FIRM - Fair Microbial Resources for Globally Impactful Research-Project 101292674 HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-03 (2026-2029)

  • Selected publication of last 5 years
  • 1) Cryopreservation of fermented table olives microbiomes: an integrative case study on viability, functional stability, and biobanking applications. Food Research International (2026): 118430.
  • 2) From chaos to tranquillity: A modern approach to the identification, nomenclature and phylogeny of Aspergillus, Penicillium and other Eurotiales, including an updated accepted species list. Studies in Mycology (2025) 112: 117-260.
  • 3) Catalogue of surface proteins of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains of dairy and vegetable niches. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 426 (2025): 110922.
  • 4) Microbial ecology and nutritional features in liquid sourdough containing hemp flour fermented by lactic acid bacterial strains. Foods 2025, 14(3):469.
  • 5) Treasures of Italian microbial culture collections: an overview of preserved biological resources, offered services and know-how, and management." Sustainability 16.9 (2024): 3777.
  • 6) Diversity of Fusarium species isolated from symptomatic plants belonging to a wide range of agri-food and ornamental crops in Lebanon. Journal of Fungi 8.9 (2022): 897.
  • 7) Phylogeny and mycotoxin profile of pathogenic Fusarium species isolated from sudden decline syndrome and leaf wilt symptoms on date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) in Tunisia. Toxins 13.7 (2021): 463.
  • 8) Toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in a climate change scenario: Ecology, genomics, distribution, prediction and prevention of the risk. Microorganisms 8.10 (2020): 1496.
  • 9) Fumonisin and beauvericin chemotypes and genotypes of the sister species Fusarium subglutinans and Fusarium temperatum." Applied and environmental microbiology 86.13 (2020): e00133-20.
  • 10) Genetic polymorphisms associated to SDHI fungicides resistance in selected Aspergillus flavus strains and relation with aflatoxin production." International journal of food microbiology 334 (2020): 108799.

    • Quality Management System

    ISO 9001:2015-certified culture collection (Certificate No. 35674/17/S)