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Metabarcoding of the kombucha microbial community grown in different microenvironments
Oleg N Reva1, Iryna E Zaets, Leonid P Ovcharenko
1Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood road, Hillcrest, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa, oleg.reva@up.ac.za.
AMB Express
|June 11, 2015
Summary
DNA metabarcoding reveals the complex and adaptable microbial community in kombucha, a probiotic. This method is crucial for controlling the safety and efficacy of these microbial cultures.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genomics
- Probiotics
Background:
- Probiotic microbial communities require robust analysis for safety and efficacy.
- Kombucha microbial culture (KMC) is a poly-microbial probiotic with a complex composition.
- Traditional culturing methods may not capture the full diversity of KMC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the kombucha poly-microbial probiotic community.
- To investigate the flexibility of KMC under different growth conditions.
- To establish DNA metabarcoding as a method for controlling KMC composition.
Main Methods:
- Environmental DNA sequencing (DNA metabarcoding) was employed.
- Kombucha microbial culture (KMC) was subjected to different growth conditions.
- High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze community composition.
Main Results:
- DNA metabarcoding revealed a more complex and flexible KMC than culturing methods.
- The core KMC included acetobacteria (Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter) and yeasts (Brettanomyces/Dekkera, Pichia).
- Community composition varied with growth conditions, particularly yeast species, while the bacterial component was more stable.
Conclusions:
- Kombucha microbial communities are complex and variable, impacting probiotic quality.
- DNA metabarcoding is essential for robustly controlling KMC composition, including unculturable microorganisms.
- The core community may recruit environmental bacteria like lactobacilli, potentially enhancing fermentation.
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