Heat stress influence the microbiota and organic acids concentration in beef cattle rumen.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat stress on meta-taxonomic and metabolic profiles of prokaryotes in beef cattle rumen. Six pure-breed Nellore heifers with ruminal cannulas were used in the study. Six treatments were tested in a 6 × 6 Latin Square with six periods of 21days. The treatments were evaluated in a 2 × 2 + 2 factorial arrangement, consisting of 4 combinations: two temperatures conditions (thermoneutral, TN: 24 °C; and heat stress, HS: 34 °C) and two dietary energy concentration [low-energy (37% non-fibrous carbohydrates - NFC, 12 Mcal of metabolizable energy per kg of dry matter) or high-energy concentration (50.5% NFC, 18.49 Mcal of metabolizable energy per kg of dry matter)] plus two additional treatments with animals maintained in TN conditions but with your intake restricted (TN-RI) to the same of the heifers in HS with the two dietary energy concentration. The meta-genome was sequenced by MiSeq Sequencing System platform, and the DNA sequences were analysed using Geneious 10.2.3 software. The metabolic profile was evaluated by liquid and gas chromatography. Animals under HS presented lower (P = 0.04) prokaryote richness than animals under TN conditions. The genera Flavonifractor (1.4%), Treponema (0.6%) and Ruminococcus (0.9%) showed the lowest (P < 0.04) and Carnobacterium (7.7%) the highest (P = 0.02) relative abundance when the animals were submitted to HS, in relation to animals in TN. A total of 49 different metabolites were identified in the ruminal samples. The concentration of isobutyric acid (4.32 mM) was highest in bovine rumen under HS conditions. Heat stress influenced the microbiota and concentration of some organic acids in beef cattle rumen. There was a reduction in the richness of rumen in cattle under heat stress, but the diversity of prokaryotes was not affected.

Physiological and genetic characterization of indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae for potential use in productions of fermented maize-based-beverages.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for many years in the elaboration of food and beverage products, mainly associated with fermentation processes. The objective of this study was to characterize different indigenous S. cerevisiae strains and guide the notable strains for potential use in productions of fermented maize-based beverages. Initially, 81 strains isolated from different spontaneous food fermentations were evaluated. About 31% of strains showed phytase activity, an important characteristic for their application in cereals beverages production. All strains were able to grow in pH values 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 and the presence of 5, 15, and 30% of glucose, but none could grow at 42 °C. Only 29.6% of the evaluated strains were able to efficiently grow in up to 1.0 mol L-1 of NaCl. The Rep-PCR and RAPD-PCR tools showed that the strains were differently grouped by the two techniques, and the grouping was not completely correlated with isolation source. A total of 65 volatile compounds were identified from the maize beverage produced. The profiles of volatile compounds produced by the strains were strain specific. S. cerevisiae strains isolated from the same source showed different chemical and genetic profiles, emphasize the importance to characterize the performance of each strain when searching for starter culture to develop or improve fermented beverages.

Comparative genomics of Paraburkholderia kururiensis and its potential in bioremediation, biofertilization, and biocontrol of plant pathogens.

Burkholderia harbors versatile Gram-negative species and is ß-Proteobacteria. Recently, it was proposed to split the genus in two main branches: one of animal and plant pathogens and another, Paraburkholderia, harboring environmental and plant-beneficial species. Currently, Paraburkholderia comprises more than 70 species with ability to occupy very diverse environmental niches. Herein, we sequenced and analyzed the genome of Paraburkholderia kururiensis type strain KP23T , and compared to P. kururiensis M130, isolated in Brazil, and P. kururiensis susbp. thiooxydans, from Korea. This study focused on the gene content of the three genomes with special emphasis on their potential of plant-association, biocontrol, and bioremediation. The comparative analyses revealed several genes related to plant benefits, including biosynthesis of IAA, ACC deaminase, multiple efflux pumps, dioxygenases, and degradation of aromatic compounds. Importantly, a range of genes for protein secretion systems (type III, IV, V, and VI) were characterized, potentially involved in P. kururiensis well documented ability to establish endophytic association with plants. These findings shed light onto bacteria-plant interaction mechanisms at molecular level, adding novel information that supports their potential application in bioremediation, biofertilization, and biocontrol of plant pathogens. P. kururiensis emerges as a promising model to investigate adaptation mechanisms in different ecological niches.

Fermentation of yam (Dioscorea spp. L.) by indigenous phytase-producing lactic acid bacteria strains.

The use of lactic bacteria in the development of functional foods has increased in recent years. In addition to their probiotic characteristics, they can ferment a variety of substrates, such as cereals, roots, and tubers. Phytase producer lactic acid bacteria strains and their behavior during the fermentation process of yam-based food were studied. Leuconostoc lactis CCMA 0415, Lactobacillus plantarum CCMA 0744, and Lactobacillus fermentum CCMA 0745 were selected due to phytase production, pH reduction, and growth during 24 h of fermentation. Oxalate activity was not detected in all assays, suggesting its concentration was reduced due to the bleaching process. Among the selected strains, L. lactis CCMA 0415 appeared to be a promising strain in yam-based fermentations because it maintained a cell viability above 8 log CFU/mL and did not reduce diosgenin concentrations (around 8.0 µg/mL) after fermentation for 24 h, thereby, generating a potentially functional yam food. Furthermore, this strain promoted the decrease of pH value from 6.1 to 3.8 and produced 8.1 g/L lactic acid, at 6 h of fermentation. The L. lactis CCMA 0415 was reported as a starter culture in fermented products based on cereals, roots, and tubers.

Impact of a Microbial Cocktail Used as a Starter Culture on Cocoa Fermentation and Chocolate Flavor.

Chocolate production suffered a vast impact with the emergence of the "witches' broom" disease in cocoa plants. To recover cocoa production, many disease-resistant hybrid plants have been developed. However, some different cocoa hybrids produce cocoa beans that generate chocolate with variable quality. Fermentation of cocoa beans is a microbiological process that can be applied for the production of chocolate flavor precursors, leading to overcoming the problem of variable chocolate quality. The aim of this work was to use a cocktail of microorganisms as a starter culture on the fermentation of the ripe cocoa pods from PH15 cocoa hybrid, and evaluate its influence on the microbial communities present on the fermentative process on the compounds involved during the fermentation, and to perform the chocolate sensorial characterization. According to the results obtained, different volatile compounds were identified in fermented beans and in the chocolate produced. Bitterness was the dominant taste found in non-inoculated chocolate, while chocolate made with inoculated beans showed bitter, sweet, and cocoa tastes. 2,3-Butanediol and 2,3-dimethylpyrazine were considered as volatile compounds making the difference on the flavor of both chocolates. Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CCMA 0200, Lactobacillus plantarum CCMA 0238, and Acetobacter pasteurianus CCMA 0241 are proposed as starter cultures for cocoa fermentation.

Functional expression of Burkholderia cenocepacia xylose isomerase in yeast increases ethanol production from a glucose-xylose blend.

This study presents results regarding the successful cloning of the bacterial xylose isomerase gene (xylA) of Burkholderia cenocepacia and its functional expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The recombinant yeast showed to be competent to efficiently produce ethanol from both glucose and xylose, which are the main sugars in lignocellulosic hydrolysates. The heterologous expression of the gene xylA enabled a laboratorial yeast strain to ferment xylose anaerobically, improving ethanol production from a fermentation medium containing a glucose-xylose blend similar to that found in sugar cane bagasse hydrolysates. The insertion of xylA caused a 5-fold increase in xylose consumption, and over a 1.5-fold increase in ethanol production and yield, in comparison to that showed by the WT strain, in 24h fermentations, where it was not detected accumulation of xylitol. These findings are encouraging for further studies concerning the expression of B. cenocepacia xylA in an industrial yeast strain.