Michael Gaenzle, Dr. rer. nat. habil.

/(Michael Gänzle)/

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Ag, Food & Nutri Sci Dept

Pronouns: he / his

Contact

Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sci - Ag, Food & Nutri Sci Dept
Email
mgaenzle@ualberta.ca
Phone
(780) 492-0774
Address
3-18G Agriculture/Forestry Centre
9011 116 St NW
Edmonton AB
T6G 2P5

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Food Microbiology and Probiotics


About

Degree

Dr. rer. nat. Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

Canada Research Chair (Tier I)

Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2021, 2022 and 2023

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Sciences, Division of Biological Sciences


Research

Research Expertise

Food Microbiology and Probiotics

Research Interests 

Current research projects focus on the functional characterisation of lactic acid bacteria for use as starter cultures, protective cultures, or probiotics in food with a focus on cereal-associated lactic acid bacteria; production of oligosaccharides from sucrose or lactose by lactic acid bacteria and biological activities of oligosaccharides; novel, non-thermal preservation methods with a focus on high pressure processing and biopreservation; and intestinal microbial ecology with focus on the use of prebiotic carbohydrates and dietary fibre to improve host health.

The Periodic Table of Fermented Foods is available via this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10cH7XaNqGQAKdL3VHhd1tzWXlGaTdfkV?usp=sharing

A current (March 2020) phylogenetic tree of lactobacilli reflecting new nomenclature is available via this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10gYBZE6wtvhX0FON39yS4w7G75Cni4-K?usp=sharing



Teaching

Undergraduate research or reading projects (NU FS 400 or NU FS 401) are offered throughout the year.

The selection of topics for undergraduate or summer projects varies depending on the interest of the student and the availability of mentors - please consult with Dr. Gänzle if you are interested in undergraduate research opportunities.

Announcements

Graduate Training Opportunities

Graduate students working with Dr. Gänzle typically have a background in Food Technology, Microbiology, or Food Chemistry. Students receive valuable training due to the multidisciplinary nature of his program and the interaction with scientists from other disciplines. Team members present regularly in the Food Microbiology Laboratory seminar, and typically have the opportunity to supervise undergraduate students and to present their research results at international conferences. 

Please consult http://www.afns.ualberta.ca/Graduate.aspx for questions about graduate programs at AFNS and inquire to Dr. Gänzle by e-mail regarding graduate training opportunities in his group.

Courses

AFNS 500 - Individual Study

Project or reading course under the supervision of a Faculty member requiring preparation of a comprehensive report. Prerequisite: consent of Department. Note: May be taken more than once provided the topic is different.


AFNS 507 - Science and Technology of Cereal and Oilseed Processing

Biological, biochemical, chemical, and technological aspects of the processing of cereals and oilseeds. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 406. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.


AFNS 512 - Quality Assurance

Statistical methods in quality assurance, sampling plans, control charts, sensory evaluation and risk management in the food industry, HACCP, good manufacturing practices, food regulations, labeling requirements, auditing and ISO 9000 standards. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 312.


AFNS 528 - Advances in Human Nutrition and the Intestinal Microbiome

Overview of the role of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract and the impact on human health, interaction with dietary components and potential dietary modulation of the microbiome in the prevention of chronic disease. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 428. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. *3 MICRB and *6 PHYSL recommended.


AFNS 566 - Advanced Food Microbiology

A lecture/discussion course on selected topics in food microbiology. Prerequisite: One of: (MICRB 265, NU FS 361, or 363) and consent of instructor.


AFNS 580 - Advanced Study of Microbial Food Safety

Emerging issues in microbiological safety of foods. Reading and class presentations on current developments in the microbiological safety of foods. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 480. Prerequisite: MICRB 265 or consent of instructor.


AFNS 603 - Graduate Research Project

Directed laboratory study under supervision of a Faculty member. Note: May be taken more than once if the topic is different. Prerequisite: consent of Department.


NU FS 312 - Quality Assurance

Statistical methods in quality assurance, sampling plans, control charts, sensory evaluation and risk management in the food industry, HACCP, good manufacturing practices, food regulations, Iabelling requirements and ISO 9000 standards. Prerequisite: (NU FS 361 or 363) and introductory statistics.


NU FS 361 - Food Microbiology

Environmental factors affecting the growth, activity and destruction of microorganisms in food and their application to control foodborne illness and spoilage in the food processing and food service industries. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 363. Prerequisite: MICRB 265.


NU FS 363 - Food Microbiology

Environmental factors affecting the growth, activity, and destruction of microorganisms in food and their application to control foodborne illness and spoilage in the food processing and food service industries. Not to be taken if credit received for NU FS 361. Prerequisite: BIOL 107, BIOL 108, or 3 units in MICRB.


NU FS 406 - Science and Technology of Cereal and Oilseed Processing

Biological, biochemical, chemical, and technological aspects of the processing of cereals and oilseeds. Prerequisite: 3 units in introductory Biochemistry or Biological Science, or NU FS 374.


NU FS 428 - Advances in Human Nutrition and the Intestinal Microbiome

Overview of the role of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract and the impact on human health, interaction with dietary components and potential dietary modulation of the microbiome in the prevention of chronic disease. Prerequisite: NUTR 301, NUTR 302, or NU FS 305. *3 MICRB and *6 PHYSL recommended.


NU FS 480 - Microbial Food Safety

Established and emerging causative agents of microbial foodborne illness, their significance and control in the food chain. Rationale for regulatory intervention to enhance the microbiological safety of foods. Prerequisite: MICRB 265, NU FS 361, or NU FS 363.


Browse more courses taught by Michael Gaenzle

Scholarly Activities

Research - Nomenclature, phylogenetic tree and physiological properties of lactobacilli

Left panel: Core genome phylogenetic tree of lactobacilli based on the phylogenomic analysis of concatenated alignment of protein sequences for the 114 single-copy core genes.

A version of the file is published as Figure 2 in Zheng et al., A taxonomic note on the genus Lactobacillus: Description of 23 novel genera, emended description of the genus Lactobacillus Beijerinck 1901, and union of Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae; Int. J. System. Evol. Bacteriol. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004107.

Current information on Lactobacillus nomenclature is also available on www.lactobacillus.ualberta.ca or www.lactobacillus.uantwerpen.be (mirrored websites that are periodically updated)


Right panel: Metabolic potential lactobacilli as indicated by the presence/absence of key enzyme genes for different pathways. Different colors of the heat map represent different gene sets: gray for lactic metabolism, blue for acid resistance, purple for oligosaccharide metabolism, green for peptidases, and red for bacteriocins. The figure was published as Figure 4 in Zheng et al., 2015. Genomic analysis of lactobacilli and pediococci demonstrates that phylogeny matches ecology and physiology. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 81: 7233 – 7243. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02116-15.



Link to public folder on Google Drive for download of the .pdf file

Research - Periodic Table of Fermented Foods and Periodic Table of Alternate Fermented Foods

High resolution pdf file of the Periodic Table of Fermented Food, previous versions were published Food Microbiology, modified from Fundamentals and Frontiers, 5th Ed. Editors: M. P. Doyle, F. Diez-Gonzalez, and C. Hill ©2019 ASM Press, Washington, DC doi:10.1128/9781555819972.ch33 and Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (2022) 106:2815–2826; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11909-y, The periodic table of alternate fermented foods shows products with comparable production processes and fermentation organisms as for those foods that are shown with the same element # in the periodic table (added July 2023)

The file was updated in July 2023


Link to public folder on Google Drive to download the pdf file

Featured Publications

Fuyong Li, Xudong Li, Christopher C. Cheng, Dalimil Bujdoš, Stephanie Tollenaar, David J. Simpson, Guergana Tasseva, Maria Elisa Perez‑Muñoz, Steven Frese, Michael G. Gänzle, Jens Walter, Jinshui Zheng

BMC Biology. 2023 March; 21 10.1186/s12915-023-01541-1


Zhen Li, Mengzhuo Zheng, Jinshui Zheng, Michael G Gänzle

2023 March; 50 10.1016/j.cofs.2023.101007


Gautam Gaur, Michael Gänzle

2023 January; 6 10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100448


Michael G. Gänzle

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2022 May; 106 10.1007/s00253-022-11909-y


Wang, Z., Zhu, T., Chen, Z., Meng, J., Simpsom, D.J., Gänzle, M.G.

2021 October; 87 10.1128/AEM.01683-21


253. Zheng, J., Wittouck, S., Salvetti, E., Franz, C.M.A.P., Harris, H.M.B., Mattarelli, P., O’Toole, P.W., Pot, B., Vandamme, P., Walter, J., Watanabe, K., Wuyts, S., Felis, G.E., Gänzle, M.G., Lebeer, S.

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2020 April; 70 (4):2782-2858


Yan, Y., Hu, Y., Gänzle, M.G.

Current Opinions in Food Science. 2018 January; 20


Marco, M.S., Heeney, D., Binda, S., Cifelli, C.J., Cotter, P.D., Foligné, B., Gänzle, M., Kort, R., Pasin, G., Pihlanto, A., Smid, E.J., Hutkins, R.

Curr. Op. Biotechnol.. 2017 January; 44


Duar, R; Lin, XX; Zheng, J; Martino, ME; Grenier, T; Pérez-Muñoz, ME; L, F; Gänzle, M; Walter, J.

FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2017 January; 41


Mercer, R.G., Nguyen, O., Ou, Q., McMullen, L., Gänzle, M.G.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2017 January; 83


Lin, X.B., Lohans, C.T., Duar, R., Zheng, J., Vederas, J.C., Walter, J., Gänzle, M.G.

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2015 January; 81


Gänzle, M.G.

Curr. Opin. Food Sci.. 2015 January; 2


Mercer, R.G., Zheng, R., Garcia-Hernandez, R., Ruan, L., Gänzle, M.G., McMullen, L.M.

Front. Microbiol. 2015 January; 6


Zhao, C, Kinner, M., Wismer, W., Gänzle, M.G.

Cereal Chem.. 2015 January; 92


Zheng, J., Gänzle, M.G., Lin, X.B., Ruan, L., Sun, M

Environ. Microbiol.. 2015 January; 17


Teixeira, J.S. Seeras, A., Sanchez-Maldonado, A.F. Zhang, C., Su, M.S.-W., Gänzle, M.G.

Food Microbiol.. 2014 January; 42


Chen, X.Y., Woodward, A., Zijlstra, R.T., Gänzle, M.G.

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2014 January; 80


Bai, Y., Findlay, B., Sanchez Maldonado, A.F., Schieber, A., Vederas, J.C., Gänzle, M.G.

J. Agric. Food Chem.. 2014 January; 62


Black, B.A., E. Zannini, J.M. Curtis, M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2013 January; 79


Gänzle, M.G., R. Follador

Frontiers in Microbiology. 2012 January; 3


Su, M.S.-W., P.L. Oh, J. Walter, M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2012 January; 78


Engels, C., A. Schieber, and M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2011 January; 77


Metzler-Zebeli, M.U., S. Hooda, R. Pieper, R.T. Zijlstra, A.G. van Kessel, R. Mosenthin, and M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2010 January; 76


Galle, S., C. Schwab, E. Arendt, and M. Gänzle

J. Agric. Food Chem.. 2010 January; 58


Margosch, D., M.A. Ehrmann, R. Buckow, V. Heinz, R.F. Vogel, and M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 2006 January; 72


Tieking, M., M.A. Ehrmann, R.F. Vogel, M.G. Gänzle

Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol.. 2005 January; 66


Thiele, C., M.G. Gänzle, R.F. Vogel

Cereal Chemistry. 2002 January; 79


Gänzle, M.G., M. Ehmann, W.P. Hammes

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.. 1998 January; 64


Wang W, Hu, H, Zijlstra RT, Zheng J, Gänzle, MG

Microbiome. 7


Gänzle, M.G., Zheng, J.

Int J Food Micro. In press


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