Microbiome Assembly in Fermented Foods

Annu Rev Microbiol. 2023 Sep 15;77:381-402. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032521-041956.ABSTRACTFor thousands of years, humans have enjoyed the novel flavors, increased shelf-life, and nutritional benefits that microbes provide in fermented foods and beverages. Recent sequencing surveys of ferments have mapped patterns of microbial diversity across space, time, and production practices. But a mechanistic understanding of how fermented food microbiomes assemble has only recently begun to emerge. Using three foods as case studies (surface-ripened cheese, sourdough starters, and fermented vegetables), we use an ecological and evolutionary framework to identify how microbial communities assemble in ferments. By combining in situ sequencing surveys with in vitro models, we are beginning to understand how dispersal, selection, diversification, and drift generate the diversity of fermented food communities. Most food producers are unaware of the ecological processes occurring in their production environments, but the theory and models of ecology and evolution can provide new approaches for managing fermented food microbiomes, from farm to ferment.PMID:37713453 | DOI:10.1146/annurev-micro-032521-041956

Source: Annual Review of Microbiology - September 15, 2023 Category: Microbiology Authors: Nicolas L Louw Kasturi Lele Ruby Ye Collin B Edwards Benjamin E Wolfe Source Type: research