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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Commercially produced cyanobacteria preparations sold under the name spirulina are widely consumed, due to their traditional use as a nutrient-rich foodstuff and subsequent marketing as a superfood. Despite their popularity, the microbial composition of ponds used to cultivate these bacteria is understudied. A total of 19 pond samples were obtained from small-scale spirulina farms and subjected to metagenome and/or virome sequencing, and the results were analysed. A remarkable level of prokaryotic and viral diversity was found to be present in the ponds, with Limnospira sp. and Arthrospira sp. sometimes being notably scarce. A detailed breakdown of prokaryotic and viral components of 15 samples is presented. Twenty putative Limnospira sp.-infecting bacteriophage contigs were identified, though no correlation between the performance of these cultures and the presence of phages was found. The high diversity of these samples prevented the identification of clear trends in sample performance over time, between ponds or when comparing successful and failed fermentations.

Details

Title
Viromic and Metagenomic Analyses of Commercial Spirulina Fermentations Reveal Remarkable Microbial Diversity
Author
McDonnell, Brian 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Parlindungan, Elvina 1 ; Vasiliauskaite, Erika 1 ; Bottacini, Francesca 2 ; Coughlan, Keith 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Krishnaswami, Lakshmi Priyadarshini 1 ; Sassen, Tom 3 ; Lugli, Gabriele Andrea 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ventura, Marco 4 ; Mastroleo, Felice 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mahony, Jennifer 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Douwe van Sinderen 1 

 School of Microbiology, University College Cork, T12 Y337 Cork, Ireland; [email protected] (B.M.); [email protected] (E.V.); [email protected] (K.C.); [email protected] (L.P.K.); [email protected] (J.M.); APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, T12 YT20 Cork, Ireland; [email protected] 
 APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, T12 YT20 Cork, Ireland; [email protected]; Biological Sciences, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown, T12 P928 Cork, Ireland 
 School of Microbiology, University College Cork, T12 Y337 Cork, Ireland; [email protected] (B.M.); [email protected] (E.V.); [email protected] (K.C.); [email protected] (L.P.K.); [email protected] (J.M.); APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, T12 YT20 Cork, Ireland; [email protected]; Microbiology Unit, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium; [email protected] 
 Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; [email protected] (G.A.L.); [email protected] (M.V.); Interdepartmental Research Centre “Microbiome Research Hub”, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy 
 Microbiology Unit, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium; [email protected] 
First page
1039
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
19994915
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3084992709
Copyright
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.