Scientists say a database set up in a European project could improve food safety.
The food metagenomes database was developed as part of the EU-funded MASTER project. Metagenomes are the genomic material of all microorganisms in an environment.
The composite FoodMetagenomicData (cFMD) is a database with metagenomes from food. DNA sequencing technologies will help researchers tackle challenges such as food waste, antimicrobial resistance and food safety.
Microbes can have a positive impact on food production, such as through food fermentation, or a negative impact on food production, such as spoilage or foodborne illness.
The analysis of these microbes was based on traditional approaches that required the growth of the microorganisms on agar in Petri dishes, using different agars for different microorganisms.
Benefits of food safety
Scientists say using high-throughput DNA sequencing-based methods could improve food testing. This method allows all microorganisms to be tested quickly and simultaneously, including microorganisms that are difficult to culture.
The work included DNA testing of thousands of samples collected from European food processing facilities. The database means that data generated from DNA sequencing-based analysis of food samples can be analyzed quickly and accurately to identify and control unwanted microorganisms.
The MASTER project involved 30 partners and started in January 2019. It will last four years and use sequencing technologies to map microbiomes in a range of food and non-food environments.
Project coordinator Professor Paul Cotter, head of food biosciences at Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority), said the data covers 15 food categories from 52 countries.
“The cFMD contains data on 3,600 microbial species, of which 290 are new species. It is free and can be widely used for microbiome studies and food industry applications. For example, studying the movements of microbes along the food chain, studying the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes, detecting unwanted microbes and investigating the transmission of microbes to humans. The availability of cFMD represents an important step toward a future where metagenomic sequencing could replace classical microbiology as a more accurate and faster tool for tracking microbes in the food chain.”
research
A study has been published in the diary cell. It was led by teams from the University of Trento and the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, Teagasc of Ireland, the Spanish National Research Council and the University of Leon in Spain, MATIS of Iceland and FFOQSI in Austria, with other contributors.
Professor Danilo Ercolini from the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II said: “The availability of such a huge dataset, including food metagenomes and food microbe genomes, will provide an essential resource for many food scientists to further exploit the event. and the role of microbes in food and food processing facilities with the ultimate goal of improving food quality, safety and sustainability.”
Most species known to be of concern for foodborne transmission were rarely detected in food sampled, but Listeria monocytogenes was detected once and Clostridium perfringens three times.
Researchers discovered hundreds of uncharacterized species in the food microbiome.
“Targeted isolation and functional characterization of these food microbes that we detected only through metagenomics should be the next step to further exploit their role in food processing, quality and safety. Our findings support molecular typing, which means that food authenticity and origin certifications should be developed based on microbial specificity,” they said.
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