Food Microbial Biodiversity and “Microbes of Protected Origin”

Typical food and geographical indicaTions Over the past decades, traditional food systems have evolved from poorly coordinated networks to globalized complexes of regulated trade, and the geographical indications (GIs) agro-food market size is approximately $50 billion. Belonging to the intellectual property law as collective property rights, the “GI 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” (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 2011). The global impact of “GI” is widely testified through the scientific, social, and economic importance of traditional foods (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 2011; World Trade Organization (WTO), 2011). In fact, GIs are known to be the earliest type of trademarks. From an edible perspective, this concept is simply and well presented by Bisson et al. (2002): “consumers expect wine from a particular region to possess unique qualities that differentiate it from other wines of the same varietal from other regions.” The GI system is based upon the concept of “terroir,” a French word used to describe all geographical aspects of the environment, including the climate, geology, cultivar, human, technical, and cultural practices (and the interactions of these factors) that can influence local production. The form of protection is generally in accordance with signed accords and treaties such as the TRIPS (Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement or the Lisbon Agreement. Even if at the national level, they are specifically protected by a variety of laws or instruments. For instance, in the European Union (EU), GIs for agricultural products and foodstuffs are protected by (EC Regulation 510/2006, 2006; these rules do not apply to wine-sector products which are covCsoma et al., 2010; Valmorri et al., 2010; Cocolin et al., 2011; Cordero-Bueso et al., 2011; Tristezza et al., 2011). In GIs product specification, the microbial attributes are recognized as geographical (territorial) traits and/or as a part of production characteristics (list of autochthonous species and strains, preparation of the natural starter culture, use of specific commercial starter cultures, the chemico-physical foodstuff factors responsible of microbial development). It is important to underline that the commercial starter cultures use might lead to losses in “unique qualities,” while the pursuit of wild natural fermentations (natural starter culture) can result in fermentation arrests and/or the production of undesired metabolites responsible for food depreciation or human toxicity.