# Microbiological Safety and Health Properties of Markleted Fermented Root Vegetables
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Evaluation of Microorganisms' Content  
The composition of microorganisms in the analyzed products was varied (Table 4). However, no microorganisms were detected in pasteurized products. Therefore, pasteurized pickles cannot be recognized as probiotic foods. Unpasteurized products were characterized by the presence of LAB with no statistically significant differences. The total number of them was higher than 10\({}^{6}\) CFU/mL, except for one sample of pickled celeriac (CR2), where this value reached 6.2 \(\times\) 10\({}^{5}\) CFU/mL. Moreover, microorganisms from the _Lactobacillaceae_ family were identified. These included _Levilactobacillus brevis_ in pickled celeriac (CR3) and radish (R2) samples, _Lactobacillus plantarum_ in pickled radish (R1), carrot (C2), and white radish (W1) samples, and _Lactaseibacillus paracasi_ in fermented carrot (C2) and beetroot (B3). Both _Levilactobacillus brevis_ and _Lactobacillus plantarum_ are known to contribute to the safety and health-promoting properties of fermented foods through the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) [79, 80]. According to the literature, they were detected in fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut or cauliflower [79, 80]. _Lacticaseibacillus paracasi_, a genus commonly associated with fermented dairy products [81, 82], has also been found in pickled vegetables, including beetroot and fermented carrot juice [68, 83, 84]. This microorganism is of particular significance due to its potential to enhance the health properties of fermented products by positively influencing the gut microbiota and the gut-brain axis [82, 85]. None of the tested products were microbiologically contaminated by _Bacillus cereus_, _Salmonella_, _Enterococcus_ species, or spore-forming anaerobic bacteria. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{3}{*}{**Product**} & & **Total Number** & **Total Number** & **Total Number** & **Total Number** & **Total Number** & **Detection of** \\  & **Pasteurization** & **Fementation** & **Mesophilic** & **Psychrophilic** & **Thermophilic** & **Fungi and** & **Coliform** \\  & & **Bacillus** & **Bacteria** & **Bacteria** & **Bacteria** & **Models** & **[CFU/mL]** \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Cleery root} & + & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(6.2\times 10^{5}\) & \(4.5\times 10^{5}\) & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(2.0\times 10^{6}\) & \(8.2\times 10^{5}\) & nd & \(1.1\times 10^{2}\) & \(4.9\times 10^{3}\) & nd \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Radish} & \(-\) & \(4.1\times 10^{6}\) & \(3.5\times 10^{6}\) & nd & \(2.6\times 10^{4}\) & \(1.8\times 10^{2}\) & \(1.1\times 10^{5}\) \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & nd & \(7.5\times 10^{4}\) & \(3.2\times 10^{3}\) & \(7.5\times 10^{4}\) & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(2.9\times 10^{7}\) & \(4.3\times 10^{7}\) & nd & \(2.3\times 10^{1}\) & \(1.4\times 10^{2}\) & nd \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Carrot} & \(-\) & \(1.5\times 10^{6}\) & nd & \(7.2\times 10^{1}\) & nd & \(1.3\times 10^{1}\) & \(2.4\times 10^{2}\) \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(1.3\times 10^{6}\) & \(8.0\times 10^{6}\) & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(4.7\times 10^{8}\) & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{White radish} & \(-\) & \(3.9\times 10^{6}\) & \(4.8\times 10^{4}\) & nd & \(3.0\times 10^{4}\) & \(2.3\times 10^{1}\) & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(9.9\times 10^{6}\) & \(5.7\times 10^{6}\) & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & + & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Beetroot} & + & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & + & nd & nd & nd & nd & nd \\ \cline{2-8}  & \(-\) & \(4.6\times 10^{6}\) & \(3.4\times 10^{5}\) & nd & \(8.7\times 10^{7}\) & nd & \(1.1\times 10^{5}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 4: Microbiological composition of fermented roots. Unfortunately, some of the analyzed products may pose a potential health risk. In three out of the eleven unpasteurized samples, coliforms were detected, all of which were identified as _Escherichia coli_.