Fermented food public science workshop studies on microbial succession and diversity

The Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh, NC) environment allowed the opportunity to provide three workshops demonstrating the process of food fermentation. Expert chefs and scientists came together to teach the art and science of fermentation while public participants learned and assisted with prepping experimental jars for the Museum Genomics & Microbiology laboratory. The first workshop produced kimchi using either cabbage or radish, the second produced chow chow (combinations of up to four vegetables in salt brine), and the third produced fermented tea (aka kombucha) using green, black, or green and black tea starters. Completed experiments found pH levels and ran 16S rRNA variable region 4 amplicon high-throughput sequencing to identify the bacteria present at two stages of fermentation. ITS amplicon sequencing was simultaneously run on the fermented tea samples to identify fungi present at the same two stages of fermentation.

北卡罗来纳州罗利市自然科学博物馆（Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC）的场地条件为三场展示食品发酵流程的工作坊提供了举办契机。专业厨师与科研人员携手合作，讲授发酵的技艺与科学原理；公众参与者则在学习过程中协助为该博物馆基因组学与微生物学实验室（Museum Genomics & Microbiology Laboratory）制备实验发酵罐。首场工作坊以卷心菜或萝卜为原料制作泡菜（kimchi），第二场制作什锦腌菜（chow chow，即以盐卤浸泡最多四种蔬菜的混合腌制品），第三场则以绿茶、红茶或绿红复配茶为发酵菌种制作发酵茶（又称康普茶kombucha）。研究人员对完成的实验样本进行了pH值检测，并通过16S rRNA可变区4扩增子高通量测序（16S rRNA variable region 4 amplicon high-throughput sequencing），鉴定发酵两个阶段的细菌群落组成；同时对发酵茶样本开展ITS扩增子测序（ITS amplicon sequencing），以鉴定相同两个阶段的真菌群落组成。