Metagenomic prospection of bacteria linked to quorum sensing during spontaneous cocoa fermentation

• Grant number: 18/13564-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2020
• End date: August 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Grantee: Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The process of fermentation of cocoa beans is not well standardized since it is carried out by microorganisms that are autochthonous from cocoa beans. It is a highly complex process because there is a microbial succession that starts with yeasts and it is maintained and finished by lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria. In this way, many authors tried to achieve a bacterial well-defined starter culture to guarantee the standardization in the characteristic chocolate flavor, that is dependent on microbial metabolites released during this process. Nevertheless, it is not described yet in literature a starter culture that may be applied successfully in the fermentative process. Moreover, some authors mentioned the quality of chocolate might be related to the presence of genes related to Quorum Sensing (QS) or Quorum Quenching (QQ) classic pathways. In that context, it is important to understand the dynamics of the fermentation process under bacterial communication view, isolating strains that dominate in a process to develop, after phenotypic characterization, a starter well-defined culture. In conclusion, our goals are: (I) study the microbiota of cocoa beans fermentation during specific times; (II) To sequence genomic DNA extracted from fermentation samples and to analyze with Illumina HiSeq 2500 platforms;(III) do bioinformatic analysis to identify bacterial strains that express genes related to QS and QQ; (IV) Enumerate, isolate and perform phenotypic analysis in QS bioassays to measure QSexpression genes in vitro; (V) Use HPLC-MS/MS to quantify the autoinducer molecules present in isolated bacterial cultures; (VI) Propose a starter culture with well-defined bacterial populations for cocoa fermentation. The results of this project should contribute to improvement and selection of flavors during cocoa beans fermentation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ALMEIDA, O. G. G.; DE MARTINIS, E. C. P.. Metagenome-Assembled Genomes Contribute to Unraveling of the Microbiome of Cocoa Fermentation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v. 87, n. 16, AUG 2021. (18/13564-3)

ALMEIDA, O. G. G.; GIMENEZ, M. P.; DE MARTINIS, E. C. P.. omparative pangenomic analyses and biotechnological potential of cocoa-related Acetobacter senegalensis strain. ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENERAL AND MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, v. 115, n. 1, NOV 2021. (18/13564-3)

GONCALVES DE ALMEIDA, OTAVIO GUILHERME; VITULO, NICOLA; DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA PEREIRA; FELIS, GIOVANNA E.. Pangenome analyses of LuxS-coding genes and enzymatic repertoires in cocoa-related lactic acid bacteria. Genomics, v. 113, n. 4, p. 1659-1670, JUL 2021. (17/13759-6, 18/13564-3)

ZAGUI, GUILHERME SGOBBI; ALMEIDA, OTAVIO GUIHERME GONCALVES DE; MOREIRA, NATALIA COLUMBARO; ABICHALKI, NATHALIA; MACHADO, GABRIEL PINHEIRO; MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA PEREIRA DE; DARINI, ANA LUCIA COSTA; ANDRADE, LEONARDO NEVES; SEGURA-MUNOZ, SUSANA INES. A set of antibiotic-resistance mechanisms and virulence factors in GES-16-producing Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae from hospital wastewater revealed by whole-genome sequencing. Environmental Pollution, v. 316, p. 8-pg., 2023-01-01. (18/13564-3, 19/18663-2, 19/05938-3)

DE ALMEIDA, OTAVIO GUILHERME GONCALVES; PEREIRA, MARITA GIMENEZ; OXARAN, VIRGINIE; DE MARTINIS, ELAINE CRISTINA PEREIRA; ALVES, VIRGINIA FARIAS. In silico metatranscriptomic approach for tracking biofilm-related effectors in dairies and its importance for improving food safety. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 13, p. 8-pg., 2022-08-25. (18/13564-3, 17/13759-6)