Dataset Information

Microbiome-Guided Exploration of the Microbial Assemblage of the Exotic Beverage "Insect Tea" Native to Southwestern China.

ABSTRACT: Insect tea is a unique beverage that is native to Southwestern China and traditionally produced by local farmers in an elaborate process. It consists of insect larvae excrements that are commonly obtained from meal moths (Pyralis farinalis Linnaeus 1758) reared on a specific plant-based diet. We have reconstructed the whole production process under laboratory conditions in order to obtain microbiome-level insights into this uncommon beverage and to trace back the origin of the prevalent bacteria in the final product. The bacterial community composition was specific for each production stage, with a high proportion of Streptomycetacea, Pseudonocaridaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae in the insect tea. A large proportion of the constituents was traced back to the producing insect (13.2%) and its excrements (43.8%), while the initial plant-based substrate for tea production was found to contribute only 0.6% of the traceable bacteria in the final product. Moreover, an enrichment of Enterobactericeae was observed during the analyzed process steps and verified with complementary analyses. The cultivation experiments indicated a high occurrence of viable bacteria in the tea at 2.7 × 105 ± 1.2 × 105 cfu g-1. The isolated bacteria included Bordetella petrii and Enterococcus spp. that were recovered from a commercial product. By implementing an integrative approach, the insect tea was shown to harbor a species-rich bacterial community that can be traced back to certain plant and insect microbiome constituents from distinct production steps. Moreover, the microbial profile of the insect tea was found to be unique for a food product so far and contained several bacterial groups that are considered from the current perspective as food contaminants or yet unreported in other beverages. Due to the high number of viable bacteria, the tea harbors a so far undescribed dynamic component that might have implications for human health.

SUBMITTER: Mao X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7000658 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Microbiome-Guided Exploration of the Microbial Assemblage of the Exotic Beverage "Insect Tea" Native to Southwestern China.

Mao Xin X Kusstatscher Peter P Li Haoxi H Chen Xiaoyulong X Berg Gabriele G Yang Maofa M Cernava Tomislav T

Frontiers in microbiology 20200129

Insect tea is a unique beverage that is native to Southwestern China and traditionally produced by local farmers in an elaborate process. It consists of insect larvae excrements that are commonly obtained from meal moths (<i>Pyralis farinalis</i> Linnaeus 1758) reared on a specific plant-based diet. We have reconstructed the whole production process under laboratory conditions in order to obtain microbiome-level insights into this uncommon beverage and to trace back the origin of the prevalent b ...[more]

PMID: 32063890

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Project description:BackgroundMilk, the first food of mammals, helps to establish a baseline gut microbiota. In humans, milk and milk products are consumed beyond infancy, providing comprehensive nutritional value. Non-dairy beverages, produced from plant, are increasingly popular as alternatives to dairy milk. The nutritive value of some plant-based products continues to be debated, whilst investigations into impacts on the microbiome are rare. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of bovine milk, soy and almond beverages on the rat gut microbiome. We previously showed soy and milk supplemented rats had similar bone density whereas the almond supplemented group had compromised bone health. There is an established link between bone health and the microbiota, leading us to hypothesise that the microbiota of groups supplemented with soy and milk would be somewhat similar, whilst almond supplementation would be different.MethodsThree-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 10/group) and fed ad libitum for four weeks. Two control groups were fed either standard diet (AIN-93G food) or AIN-93G amino acids (AA, containing amino acids equivalent to casein but with no intact protein) and with water provided ad libitum. Three treatment groups were fed AIN-93G AA and supplemented with either bovine ultra-heat treatment (UHT) milk or soy or almond UHT beverages as their sole liquid source. At trial end, DNA was extracted from caecum contents, and microbial abundance and diversity assessed using high throughput sequencing of the V3 to V4 variable regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene.ResultsAlmost all phyla (91%) differed significantly (FDR < 0.05) in relative abundance according to treatment and there were distinct differences seen in community structure between treatment groups at this level. At family level, forty taxa showed significantly different relative abundance (FDR < 0.05). Bacteroidetes (Bacteroidaceae) and Firmicutes populations (Lactobacillaceae, Clostridiaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae) increased in relative abundance in the AA almond supplemented group. Supplementation with milk resulted in increased abundance of Actinobacteria (Coriobacteriaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae) compared with other groups. Soy supplementation increased abundance of some Firmicutes (Lactobacilliaceae) but not Actinobacteria, as previously reported by others.ConclusionSupplementation with milk or plant-based drinks has broad impacts on the intestinal microbiome of young rats. Changes induced by cow milk were generally in line with previous reports showing increased relative abundance of Bifidobacteriacea, whilst soy and almond beverage did not. Changes induced by soy and almond drink supplementation were in taxa commonly associated with carbohydrate utilisation. This research provides new insight into effects on the microbiome of three commercially available products marketed for similar uses.

Dataset Information

Microbiome-Guided Exploration of the Microbial Assemblage of the Exotic Beverage "Insect Tea" Native to Southwestern China.

Publications

Microbiome-Guided Exploration of the Microbial Assemblage of the Exotic Beverage "Insect Tea" Native to Southwestern China.

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