Analysis of the Microbial Diversity and Characteristics of Fermented Blueberry Beverages from Different Regions

Microbial Diversity and Functional Potential of Keem: A Traditional Starter Culture for Alcoholic Beverage-Application of Next-Generation Amplicon and Shotgun Metagenome Sequences

"Pakhoi" is an ethnic drink of the Tons valley, Uttarakhand, India produced by fermenting jaggery and barley with the help of a starter culture called "keem". In the present study, we investigated the microbial diversity and associated functional potential of "keem" using shotgun metagenome sequencing and amplicon sequencing. We also compared the taxonomic data obtained using these two sequencing techniques. The results showed that shotgun sequencing revealed a higher resolution of taxonomic profiling as compared to the amplicon sequencing. Furthermore, it was found that the genera detected by shotgun sequencing were valuable for facilitating the fermentation process. Additionally, to understand the functional profiling of the genera, different databases were used for annotation, resulting in a total of 13 metabolic pathways. The five most abundant KEGG functions were genetic information processing, metabolism, translation, cofactor and vitamin metabolism and xenobiotic degradation. In contrast, the top five COG were in order of highest frequency sequences belonging to transcription, followed by general function prediction, carbohydrate transport metabolism, amino acid transport and metabolism and translation and biogenesis. Gene ontology revealed many pathways, biochemical processes and molecular functions associated with the organisms forming the starter culture. Overall, the present study can help to understand the microbial diversity and its role in fermentation of traditional alcoholic beverages using "Keem".

Core microbes closely related with the nutrients and flavor of sweet fermented oats (whole grain food) from China

Increased attention has been given to whole grain and plant-based foods due to health concerns. Sweet fermented oats (SFOs) are such traditional fermented food from China. However, reports on their microbiota and relations with the nutrients and flavor were scarcely few, hindering their wider application. The comprehensive microbial composition, metabolic compounds and their correlations of representative SFOs from northwestern China were firstly investigated. Firmicutes predominated the microbial communities, followed by Proteobacteria. Weissella, Bacillus and Lactobacillus were dominant bacterial genera, biomarkers and core bacteria as well. GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer) identified the metabolic compounds, among which the categories fatty acids and carboxylic acids most abundant. Eighteen chemicals showed significant differences among the five SFOs, including ethyl octanoate, neryl acetate, L-sorbose, diglycerol, cellotetraose etc. Fatty acids, carboxylic acids, amino acids, peptides, oligosaccharides, and monosaccharides were the key substances responsible for the unique flavor and rich nutrients in SFOs. The core bacteria were closely related to chemical acids, esters, flavone and alcohol. Pediococcus showed a negative correlation with 2,3-butanediol. SFOs were made in the laboratory with the core bacterial strains, obtaining a high abundance of nutrient chemicals and sensory evaluation value. The research provided a foundation for the improvement, further application and industrialization of SFOs.

Innovative beverage creation through symbiotic microbial communities inspired by traditional fermented beverages: current status, challenges and future directions

Fermented beverages (FBs) are facing challenges in functional performance and flavor complexity, necessitating the development of new multi-functional options. Traditional fermented beverages (TFBs), both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, have gained increased attention for their health-promoting effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarized the primary commercially available probiotics of FBs, along with the limitations of single and mixed probiotic FBs. It also examined the recent research progress on TFBs, emphasizing the typical microbial communities (MC) of TFBs, and TFBs made from crops (grains, vegetables, fruits, etc.) worldwide and their associated functions and health benefits. Furthermore, the construction, technical bottlenecks of the synthetic MC involved in developing innovative FBs were presented, and the promising perspective of FBs was described. Drawing inspiration from the MC of TFBs, developing of stable and multifunctional FBs using synthetic MC holds great promise for beverage industry. However, synthetic MC suffers from structural instability and poorly acknowledged interaction mechanisms, resulting in disappointing results in FBs. Future researches should prioritize creating synthetic MC fermentation that closely resemble natural fermentation, tailored to meet the needs of different consumers. Creating personalized FBs with high-tech intelligence is vital in attracting potential consumers and developing novel beverages for the future.

Optimization of the Quality of Chestnut Rose Jiaosu Compound Beverage Based on Probiotic Strains and Fermentation Technology

Chestnut rose is an endemic plant in Guizhou Province, China, also known as seedless prickly pear, rich in mineral elements, vitamin C, and flavonoids. With chestnut rose as the main raw material, with grapes, apples, and other fruits as auxiliary ingredients, through the technical process of deastringency, sterilization, fermentation, blending, and other technical processes to obtain the composite beverage, known as a chestnut rose jiaosu compound beverage, it is hereinafter referred to as CRJCB. The CRJCB fermented from chestnut rose juice is nutritious and has a variety of health effects, and the flavor is unique, with good color, aroma, and taste, which is a new type of beverage. However, at present, the fermentation related technology of CRJCB is not perfect, resulting in its low quality, which seriously restricts the industrialization development of CRJCB. In order to improve the quality of the jiaosu compound beverage, probiotics such as Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus royale (Lactobacillus reuteri), Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Streptococcus thermophilus, etc., were used. The chestnut rose as the main raw material was used for the fermentation, and grapes, apples, and sugar were used as auxiliary materials to carry out the research on the fermentation of single or mixed probiotics. The key fermentation processes affecting the quality of the jiaosu, such as juice preparation, deastringency of chestnut rose juice, fermentation temperature and time, sugar addition, and taste mixing of the jiaosu, were optimized. The optimized ratio, fermentation process parameters, and strains of probiotics of compound beverage with chestnut rose jiaosu, with high quality, were obtained. The experimental results showed that the SOD enzyme activity value was 167.7 U·ml−1, the vitamin C content was 1154.5 mg/100 mL, the soluble solids content was 5.80%, and the nitrite content was 89.8 mg/kg in the compound beverage with chestnut rose jiaosu, obtained by using the optimized ratio and fermentation process parameters proposed in this paper. The development and utilization of chestnut rose resources provide a new idea and is of great significance in promoting the development of the chestnut rose industry.

Cherries and Blueberries-Based Beverages: Functional Foods with Antidiabetic and Immune Booster Properties

Nowadays, it is largely accepted that the daily intake of fruits, vegetables, herbal products and derivatives is an added value in promoting human health, given their capacity to counteract oxidative stress markers and suppress uncontrolled pro-inflammatory responses. Given that, natural-based products seem to be a promising strategy to attenuate, or even mitigate, the development of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and to boost the immune system. Among fruits, cherries and blueberries are nutrient-dense fruits that have been a target of many studies and interest given their richness in phenolic compounds and notable biological potential. In fact, research has already demonstrated that these fruits can be considered functional foods, and hence, their use in functional beverages, whose popularity is increasing worldwide, is not surprising and seem to be a promising and useful strategy. Therefore, the present review reinforces the idea that cherries and blueberries can be incorporated into new pharmaceutical products, smart foods, functional beverages, and nutraceuticals and be effective in preventing and/or treating diseases mediated by inflammatory mediators, reactive species, and free radicals.

A Metagenetic Insight into Microbial Diversity of Spontaneously Fermented Polish Red Wines and an Analysis of Selected Physicochemical Properties

Due to changes in climatic conditions in Poland interest in viticulture and wine production has considerably boosted. One of the worldwide trends in winemaking is use of indigenous strains of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The aim of the study was to analyse the microbial diversity of Polish red wines and their key properties and combine them for better understanding of the processes responsible for creating the sensory attributes. Metagenetic analysis was used to characterise the bacterial and yeast diversity of wines produced by spontaneous fermentation of grapes of the Regent variety, which came from three vineyards: “Dom Bliskowice” (DB), “Małe Dobre” (MD), and “Winnica Janowiec” (WJ). Among bacteria, Tatumella ptyseos was the most abundant species in DB and WJ wines and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides was the most abundant in MD wine. Among yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was found in DB and WJ wines, Saccharomyces cariocanus in MD wine, and Hanseniaspora uvarum in all samples studied. Studied wines had statistically significantly different antioxidant capacities and distinct glucose, fructose, and lactic acid concentrations. The presence of acetic and lactic acid bacteria was positively related to the concentrations of acetic and lactic acid, respectively, while the lack of malic acid was indicative of malolactic fermentation. This knowledge may be useful in the development of unique local starter cultures for the production of wines with specific characteristics.