Microbial Community-Genome Large-Scale Analysis… Italian International Joint Research Team, Published in Academic Journal
An average of 3% of adult gut microbes are identified as food-derived microbes
Pathogenic bacteria are rare, but their association with health-disease needs to be investigated
Unique characteristics appear depending on the region… Can also be used for food origin certification
Scientists have analyzed the microbiome and genomes of food, creating the largest database ever created. The researchers found that food-borne microbes make up an average of 3% of the gut microbiome in adults, and 56% in infants.
An international joint research team led by Professor Nicola Segata of the Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology at the University of Trento, Italy, investigated the genomes of microorganisms in food on the largest scale ever to create a food microbiome database, and published the results in the international academic journal ‘Cell’ on the 29th of last month (local time). It is expected to help determine how food microbiome characteristics according to various food cultures affect human health in the long term.
● Turning point in gut microbiome research… Utilization of military genomics
Research results are continuously coming out that the types of microorganisms living in the human intestines are closely related to health, such as intestinal diseases, cancer, and neurological diseases. Recently, an international joint research team including the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) created a map of the relationship between human diseases and intestinal microorganisms, and released it for the first time on the 21st of last month. According to the study, diseases such as diabetes and depression are related to specific intestinal microorganisms. It has been confirmed that it is possible to diagnose diseases early and apply personalized treatments by focusing on intestinal microorganisms.
There have been few studies that have examined the extent to which microorganisms in food affect intestinal microorganisms, which are becoming increasingly important. Microorganisms in food have been individually cultured and studied in the laboratory, but this is because it takes a long time and it is difficult to culture all types of microorganisms.
The research team utilized a method called ‘metagenomics’ to efficiently identify and synthesize food microbes. Metagenomics is a research method that simultaneously analyzes the ‘metagenom’, the genetic information of the entire specific microbial community. It is a method often used to analyze microbes living in the human body or the environment, but has never been used for large-scale food research. The research team said, “Food microbiologists have not been able to properly utilize modern genome analysis technology in food research and safety testing.”
The research team analyzed 2,533 metagenomes of various types of food, from fermented beverages to meat, from 50 countries around the world. Of the 2,533 metagenome data, 1,950 were newly analyzed in this study, and 65% of the total data came from dairy products.
The analysis results did not reveal many pathogenic bacteria, but some microorganisms that adversely affect the flavor or shelf life of food were identified. The research team said, “Knowing what kind of microorganisms are in the food we produce will help us produce consistent and high-quality food.”
It was also discovered that each regional production facility or farm exhibits unique microbial characteristics. Professor Segata explained, “Food regulatory authorities can use this to define the presence or absence of specific microorganisms in food to authenticate the identity and origin of regional specialty foods.” He added, “To implement this, additional microbial metagenomes of the same food type from various regions and industries must be secured.”
● Some food microorganisms settle in our bodies.
The research team also compared the food microbes with the human microbes by comparing them to 19,833 previously analyzed human metagenomes to identify overlaps. The results showed that on average, food-derived microbes accounted for 3% of adults and 56% of infants. This means that some of the microbes in food can enter our bodies and settle down stably.
“It is possible that humans have adapted to obtain some of their gut microbes directly from food,” said Professor Segata. “While 3% may seem low for adults, it is not the specificity that matters, but the degree to which it is related to health and disease that is important, so it cannot be ignored.”
The large-scale microbial database created by the research team will allow us to investigate how the microbial characteristics of food can affect our health. It is expected to be applied to various research fields, such as the microbial evolution process according to food type, genes related to food spoilage, and diseases transmitted through food. The research team said, “In the future, we will explore the food microbial diversity related to various foods, cultures, lifestyles, and populations.”
Reporter Lee Byeong-gu, Donga Science [email protected]
-
- great
- 0dog
-
- I’m sad
- 0dog
-
- I’m angry
- 0dog
-
- I recommend it
- dog
Hot news right now
2024-09-01 22:24:40