Use of reconstituted kefir consortia to determine the impact of microbial composition on kefir metabolite profiles.

Kefir is fermented traditionally with kefir grains, but commercial kefir production often relies on fermentation with planktonic cultures. Kefir has been associated with many health benefits, however, the utilization of kefir grains to facilitate large industrial production of kefir is challenging and makes to difficult to ensure consistent product quality and consistency. Notably, the microbial composition of kefir fermentations has been shown to impact kefir associated health benefits.

Serovar Distribution in Patients with Follicular Conjunctivitis in Iran.

Objectives: infects the urogenital tract and eyes. Anatomical tropism is correlated with serovars which are characterized according to the variation in the major outer membrane proteins encoded by the gene. The aim of the present study was to determine the distribution of serovars among patients with follicular conjunctivitis in Iran.

Consumption of kefir made with traditional microorganisms resulted in greater improvements in LDL cholesterol and plasma markers of inflammation in males when compared to a commercial kefir: a randomized pilot study.

Kefir has long been associated with health benefits; however, recent evidence suggests that these benefits are dependent on the specific microbial composition of the kefir consumed. This study aimed to compare how consumption of a commercial kefir without traditional kefir organisms and a pitched kefir containing traditional organisms affected plasma lipid levels, glucose homeostasis, and markers of endothelial function and inflammation in males with elevated LDL cholesterol. We utilized a crossover design in  = 21 participants consisting of two treatments of 4 weeks each in random order separated by a 4-week washout.

The Gut Commensal Escherichia coli Aggravates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Mice.

Changes in the gut microbiota have been linked to metabolic endotoxemia as a contributing mechanism in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Although identifying specific microbial taxa associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes remains difficult, certain bacteria may play an important role in initiating metabolic inflammation during disease development. The enrichment of the family , largely represented by Escherichia coli, induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) has been correlated with impaired glucose homeostasis; however, whether the enrichment of in a complex gut microbial community in response to an HFD contributes to metabolic disease has not been established.

Opportunities and Challenges of Understanding Community Assembly in Spontaneous Food Fermentation.

Spontaneous fermentations that do not rely on backslopping or industrial starter cultures were especially important to the early development of society and are still practiced around the world today. While current literature on spontaneous fermentations is observational and descriptive, it is important to understand the underlying mechanism of microbial community assembly and how this correlates with changes observed in microbial succession, composition, interaction, and metabolite production. Spontaneous food and beverage fermentations are home to autochthonous bacteria and fungi that are naturally inoculated from raw materials, environment, and equipment.