ena-STUDY-TUGRAZ-06-09-2016-08:32:44:815-502
Deciphering the microbiome shift during fermentation of medicinal plants
As the importance of the human microbiome for health and the well-being of each individual is becoming more and more apparent, it awakes the desire of influencing it. Fermented food and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) display the possibility to prevent microbial dysbioses and diseases, but their ecology on plants is less understood. To get insight into the microbiome of original and fermented medicinal plants, Matricaria chamomilla L. and Calendula officinalis L. leaves were fermented and the process was monitored over a period of six weeks. The starting samples were characterized by a distinct phyllosphere microbiome, while the endosphere revealed a high similarity. During fermentation, significant microbial shifts were observed, whereby LAB were enhanced in all approaches but never dominated. Among the LAB, Enterococcaceae were identified as the most dominant family in both plants. The remaining LAB community differed remarkably: M. chamomilla revealed higher relative abundances of Lactobacillaceae and Carnobacteriaceae, while C. officinalis showed higher presence of Leuconostocaceae and Streptococcaceae. The natural leaf microbiome and the indigenous LAB communities of field-grown Asteraceae medicinal plants are plant-specific and habitat-specific and are subjected to significant shifts during fermentation. Besides the leaf surfaces, also the leaf endosphere was identified as source for biopreservative LAB.
As the importance of the human microbiome for health and the well-being of each individual is becoming more and more apparent, it awakes the desire of influencing it. Fermented food and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) display the possibility to prevent microbial dysbioses and diseases, but their ecology on plants is less understood. To get insight into the microbiome of original and fermented medicinal plants, Matricaria chamomilla L. and Calendula officinalis L. leaves were fermented and the process was monitored over a period of six weeks. The starting samples were characterized by a distinct phyllosphere microbiome, while the endosphere revealed a high similarity. During fermentation, significant microbial shifts were observed, whereby LAB were enhanced in all approaches but never dominated. Among the LAB, Enterococcaceae were identified as the most dominant family in both plants. The remaining LAB community differed remarkably: M. chamomilla revealed higher relative abundances of Lactobacillaceae and Carnobacteriaceae, while C. officinalis showed higher presence of Leuconostocaceae and Streptococcaceae. The natural leaf microbiome and the indigenous LAB communities of field-grown Asteraceae medicinal plants are plant-specific and habitat-specific and are subjected to significant shifts during fermentation. Besides the leaf surfaces, also the leaf endosphere was identified as source for biopreservative LAB.