Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: October 4, 2024
A new perspective on microbial landscapes within food production
Nicholas A Bokulich1, Zachery T Lewis2, Kyria Boundy-Mills3
1Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616,United States; Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616,United States; Foods for Health Institute, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
Abstract:
High-throughput, 'next-generation' sequencing tools offer many exciting new possibilities for food research. From investigating microbial dynamics within food fermentations to the ecosystem of the food-processing built environment, amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and transcriptomics present novel applications for exploring microbial communities in, on, and around our foods. This review discusses the many uses of these tools for food-related and food facility-related research and highlights where they may yield nuanced insight into the microbial world of food production systems.
Related Concept Videos
Microbes in Food Production
Microorganisms in Agriculture and Food industry
Microbes in the Production of Fermented Foods
Soil Microbial Ecology
Microenvironments
Freshwater Microbial Ecology

