Maple Sap Microbiota Collected From 3/16-inch Tubing System in West Virginia
Shotgun DNA sequencing and taxonomic analysis of Acer saccharum sap collected from 3/16-inch tubing in West Virginia. Microorganisms are known to colonize these tubing systems and promote biofilm formation, which impacts sap flow, color, flavor, and texture. Calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)2) is empirically used to sanitize 3/16-inch tubing used in maple sap collection in order to prevent microorganism accumulation, however there is a lack of scientific data demonstrating the impact of this sanitation method on the diversity of microbial species present within the tubing. The goal of this study is to compare the results of whole genome sequencing of microbial species within sap collected from unsanitized tubing, new tubing, and tubing sanitized with 400 ppm of Ca(ClO)2 solution.