Microbial information regimen in EU geographical indications Vittorio Capozzi * , Pasquale Russo, Giuseppe Spano Department of Food Science, Foggia University, via Napoli 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy Keywords: Geographical indications Intellectual property rights Food microbiology Autochthonous microflora Microbial resource EC Regulation 510/2006 abstract Fermented food Geographical Indications (GIs), protected within the framework of Intellectual Property and Human Rights, are based on various forms of local knowledge and technical practices and on various aspects of local biodiversity, ranging from plant varieties and animal breeds to microbial ecosystem. In the light of the EC Regulation 510/2006 relating to the protection of EU GIs, information about microbial resource management in GIs production is not unequivocally defined. We argue that it is possible to integrate the microbial resource information regimen coherently within the intellectual property framework for GIs. Product specification of GI fermented foods might comprise a list of autochthonous microbial strains representing the “virtuous” microbial biodiversity of a specific terroir and for a given method of food production. The autochthonous strains should be genotypically and technologically characterized and deposited in microbial collections. This approach will be useful in improving the “unique qualities” of products, and in ensuring a strong focus on the biological risks for human health and industrial exigencies of product standardization. Additionally, it is important to underline that a multi-strain starter culture essentially satisfies the patentable criteria. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Fermentation of foods, the “oldest biotechnology”, has been an effective form of food preservation for millennia [1]. Food fermentation is the natural process by which sugars are converted into alcohols and acids by microorganisms; such biochemical transformations take place in food matrices which, as a result, are turned into new food products. Wine, beer, cider, vinegar, bread, cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut and pickle are fermented foods. Fermentation is a key process in the food industry and has a huge range of other useful applications. Historically, food fermentations were based on naturally occurring microorganisms. In the frame- work of industrial food production, food bio-preservation is ach- ieved using the necessary amount of selected strains (starter cultures) to ensure the consistency, safety, and quality of the final product. A starter culture can be defined as a microbial preparation of large numbers of cells of at least one microorganism to be added to a raw material to produce a fermented food by accelerating and steering its fermentation process [2]. The scientific, social, and economic relevance of traditional fermented foods is widely testi- fied by their importance among the “geographical indication” food [3,4]. As part of the intellectual property law, the “geographical indication is a sign used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin” [3]. These attributes belong to precise geographical (territorial), production (technology and know-how), and economic determinants [5]. From an edible perspective, the GI idea is simply and well expressed by Bisson et al. [6]: “consumers expect wine from a particular region to possess unique qualities that differentiate it from other wines of the same varietal from other regions”. GI fermented foods are based on several forms of local biological and human diversity, that range from environmental aspects to traditional knowledge. There is in effect a commonly found clear association of definite biotypes with given productions. In this connection it is important to underline how plant varieties, local animal breeds, and traditional practices of food makers are non-exhaustive of geographical attributes. Microbial ecology of food fermentations plays a crucial and complex role in fermented foods and it is widely recognized that the emergence of a given microbiota in a food matrix uniquely influences the global quality of the final product. The purpose of this brief communication is to provide an over- view of the microbial resources management, in the policy frame- work of EU geographical indications, and to suggest its integration into product specification information. This concern is considerable because of i) the influences of microbial resources management on the unique organoleptic qualities that distinguish a product, ii) the * Corresponding author. University of Foggia, Department of Food Science, via Napoli, 25, 71122 Foggia, Italy. Tel.: þ39 (0) 881 589303; fax: þ39 (0) 881 740211. E-mail address: vittorio.capozzi@gmail.com (V. Capozzi). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect World Patent Information journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/worpatin 0172-2190/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2012.04.001 World Patent Information 34 (2012) 229e231