Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
08:38
Novel Production Protocol for Small-scale Manufacture of Probiotic Fermented Foods
Published on: September 10, 2016
24.4K
Serial fermentation in milk generates functionally diverse community lineages with different degrees of structure
Chloé Gapp1,2, Alexis Dijamentiuk1, Cécile Mangavel1
1Université de Lorraine, LIBio, Nancy, France.
Msystems
|July 23, 2024
Summary
Serial dairy fermentation shapes microbial communities, yielding diverse dynamics and stable acidification. Understanding community structure is key to balancing shaping and propagation for microbiome applications.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology and biotechnology
- Environmental microbiology
- Food microbiology
Background:
- Microbial communities engineered for environmental applications require methods for both shaping (selecting desired traits) and propagation (producing sufficient biomass).
- Top-down community engineering, a method using environmental variables to select microbes from a mixed pool, faces challenges in controlling the balance between shaping and propagation.
- Ecological factors influencing microbial community dynamics, stability, and functional properties during serial propagation remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ecological factors governing the balance between microbial community shaping and propagation using dairy backslopping as a model system.
- To explore how bacterial community structure and taxonomic composition influence community dynamics and functional properties during serial fermentation.
- To assess the potential for short-term serial fermentation to generate microbial communities with diverse dynamics and functionalities for biotechnological applications.
Main Methods:
- Serial propagation of 26 raw milk bacterial communities over six generations.
- Analysis of bacterial community structure using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding.
- Monitoring of acidification kinetics via pH measurements.
Main Results:
- Distinct community lineages emerged, varying in taxonomic composition and dynamics.
- Five lineages achieved stable structures and repeatable acidification kinetics within a few propagation steps.
- Community dynamics and functional properties, particularly acidification, were strongly linked to the abundance and composition of lactic acid bacteria.
Conclusions:
- Short-term serial fermentation can yield microbial communities with a broad spectrum of dynamics and functionalities.
- The balance between community shaping and propagation is intrinsically tied to the microbial community's structure and taxonomic makeup.
- Findings offer prospects for diversifying microbial biodiversity strategies in dairy fermentation and other microbiome applications.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Microbial Fermentation
Fermentation is a crucial anaerobic metabolic process that enables microbes to derive energy from sugar without relying on oxygen or an electron transport chain. This process is fundamental to various biological and industrial applications and is classified based on the metabolic products generated.Role of Pyruvate in FermentationPyruvate and its derivatives serve as key electron acceptors in fermentative pathways. The oxidation of NADH to regenerate NAD+ is essential for the continuation of...
01:27Bacterial Phylum Firmicutes
Firmicutes is a diverse phylum of Gram-positive bacteria characterized by a low GC content in their genomes. This phylum includes organisms with monoderm or diderm cell envelopes, highlighting a complex evolutionary history. Firmicutes comprises several major orders, including Lactobacillales, Clostridiales, and Bacillales, which exhibit remarkable diversity in their morphology, metabolism, and ecological roles.The order Lactobacillales includes lactic acid bacteria, which are fermentative...
01:29Microbes in Food Production
Microbial fermentation is central to food biotechnology, enhancing flavor, texture, preservation, and stability. Fermentative microorganisms metabolize carbohydrates into organic acids, alcohols, and other metabolites that inhibit spoilage organisms and improve digestibility while contributing distinctive sensory qualities.In baking, amylases naturally present in flour hydrolyze starch into monosaccharides such as glucose, which Saccharomyces cerevisiae ferments anaerobically. Through...
01:25Microbes in Beverage Production
Alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and spirits are the products of microbial fermentation processes that transform simple sugars into ethanol and a wide array of complex flavor compounds. These transformations rely on the metabolic activities of specific yeasts and bacteria, which are selected and controlled to yield the desired beverage characteristics.Wine Fermentation and MaturationWine production begins with the crushing of grapes to release juice and pulp, forming a must that is...
01:27Microbes in the Production of Fermented Foods
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and molds are instrumental in fermenting plant-based foods to enhance preservation and ensure year-round availability. These microbial processes convert plant carbohydrates into organic acids and other metabolites that inhibit spoilage organisms and contribute to the sensory qualities of the final product.In sauerkraut production, cabbage goes through a microbial succession that starts with cocci such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides. These microbes begin fermentation by...
01:25Production of Organic Acids
Lactic acid, an important organic acid extensively applied in food, pharmaceutical, and biodegradable polymer industries, is primarily produced via microbial fermentation. This method is favored over chemical synthesis due to its environmental sustainability and capacity for enantiomerically pure product formation. Among various microbial processes, the fermentation of starch-based substrates stands out due to the abundance and renewability of raw materials like corn and potatoes.Hydrolysis of...