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Kombucha microbiome as a probiotic: a view from the perspective of post-genomics and synthetic ecology
Abstract
Probiotics are essential for establishing and maintaining optimal immune health. The probiotic therapy is known
from alternative medicine for ages; however, the recent demonstration of the normal microflora to induce innate
immunity has introduced the science-based concept of therapeutic application of potentially beneficial probiotic
microorganisms for a treatment of functional disorders. Traditionally, probiotics are associated with dairy products,
however, novel formulations are needed, first of all, originated from naturally occurring symbiotic microbial
communities as the most robust assemblages. Especially, safe and robust probiotics are needed for longterm
expeditions, outposts, extraterrestrial permanently-manned bases, where humans are exposed to adverse
environmental factors. Kombucha beverage is Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) and associated
with health-promoting effects. Kombucha tea/mat is being in use in human livings within millennia as a probiotic
drink for healing and health prophylaxis effects, however, new research opportunities promise its «renaissance
», going to be used pharmacologically.
... cure the digestive complications of Emperor Ingyo (Abaci, Senol Deniz, and Orhan 2022;Rasu Jayabalan et al. 2014). Over many decades, it has been used in many countries because of its beneficial therapeutic and prophylactic properties as well as more recently for its potential detoxifying and immune-boosting properties (Rasu Jayabalan et al. 2014;N. O. Kozyrovska et al. 2012). Recently, kombucha has been garnering significant interest as it is associated with contributing to a healthy lifestyle (Chakravorty et al. 2016). ...
... oluble vitamins coupled with other micronutrients (Bishop et al. 2022;Cardoso et al., 2020;Ivanisova et al., 2020). These compounds have been linked with various health benefits including energy-providing, antidiabetic, anticancer, and probiotic effects, along with treating arthritis-related pains and other healing properties (Banerjee et al. 2010;N. O. Kozyrovska et al. 2012;Srinivasan, Smolinske, and Greenbaum 1997). Due to the trend toward a more health-conscious diet, consumer demand for kombucha along with related research in this regard is increasing. ...
... and nitrogen in the tea leaf infusion, the pH of kombucha decreases (Vitas et al. 2018;Yildiz, Guldas, and Gurbuz 2021). This acidification can differ according to the type of tea infusion used and depends on the fermentation time (Kozyrovska et al. 2012). In addition to traditionally used black or green tea leaves for the preparation of kombucha tea, there are various studies about different substrates also being used, such as yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) (Vitas et al. 2018), black carrot (Daucus carota ssp. ...
Kombucha is a fermented, acidic beverage that dates back thousands of years as a remedy for various health problems in East Asia. Due to its health benefits, kombucha has gained popularity and attracted the attention of both consumers and researchers. The health benefits of kombucha are predominantly attributed to its bioactive compounds that have antioxidant, antimicrobial, probiotic, and other positive effects owing to fermentation. Many factors such as the type of the substrate used, the symbiotic culture of the bacterial yeast composition, and fermentation conditions influence the extent of these properties. This review focuses on recent developments regarding the bioactive constituents of kombucha and its potential health benefits (antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective effects) as well as its impact on multiple sclerosis, nephrotoxicity, gastric ulceration and gut microbiota. Additionally, the composition of kombucha, alternative uses of its biofilm, and potential toxicity are also discussed. Kombucha is a healthy and safe beverage with multiple health benefits that are primarily related to the presence of bacteria, yeasts, and other bioactive constituents. Moreover, kombucha has been suggested as a potential source of probiotics and eco-friendly materials (kombucha-derived bacterial cellulose) for several industries including food and textile.
... According to the literature, the following substances were found in the culture liquid of the tea kvass mushroom: organic acids -acetic, gluconic, oxalic, citric, malic, lactic, pyruvic, kojic, phosphoric; ethanol; vitamins -ascorbic acid, thiamine; monosaccharides, disaccharides; enzymes -catalase, linase, protease, zymase, sucrase, carbohydrase, amylase; lipids -sterols, phosphatides, fatty acids; pigments -chlorophyll; purine bases from tea leaves [2][3][4][5]. ...
... The presence of such active substances as lactic, acetic, oxalic and other acids, as well as alcohol, in the culture liquid of the fungus, turns it into an antiseptic. G.A. Shakaryan and L.T. Danielova proved that tea kvass inhibited the growth of many types of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in doses from 0.05 to 0.4 ml [1,2,11], i.e. tea kvass has pronounced high antibacterial and antibiotic properties [2][3][4][5]. ...
... Research Dobrynya Yu.M., Timchenko L.D., Rzhepakovsky I.V., Bondareva N.I., Piskov S.I. biologically active substance zooglea Medusomyces gisevii on nonspecific resistance and immunobiological reactivity of the body of white rats under conditions of antibiotic-associated dysbiosis [9] proved a weakening of the functional activity of microbiota as a result of exposure to antibacterial drugs and a decrease in the body's resistance and immunoharmonic defense systems [3,4]. "...The use of a biologically active substance from the stony plant Medusomyces gisevii (Kombucha) contributed to the experiment on correcting the consequences of antibiotic-associated dysbiosis, accelerated recovery and stimulation of the general resistance of the organism of the studied animals, which indicates its immunomodulatory properties..." The results of the study are presented in table 1 [3,4,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The results of an experimental study (Dobrynya Yu. ...
The article discusses the use of Medusomyces gisevii, fungal liquid in particular, as the main ingredient for the preparation of a filler (jelly) for confectionery. The analysis of studies of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of Medusomyces gisevii research, proving the possibility of using Medusomyces Gisevi as probiotics that normalize the activity of the microbiota of the human body, provides the results of the chemical composition of kombucha. At this stage, the aim of the study is: to study the biological processes during the cultivation of the Kombucha mushroom; to determine the physicochemical parameters of liquid for kombucha culture; to study the influence of the culture liquid of kombucha on the technology of preparation of jelly as a filler and its commercial characteristics. On the basis of the fungal liquid, an inoculant was obtained (control sample no. 1 according to the classical preparation scheme and experimental sample no. 2). substances, the change in the content of antioxidants: vitamin C and rutin, depending on the time of fermentation. In order to study the possibility of using samples to obtain a filler (jelly) of confectionery products, the organoleptic characteristics of the resulting drink were determined. The most acceptable organoleptic properties are possessed by a drink with the addition of kombucha and oregano extract with honey.
... Kombucha beverage is a source of bioactive components, such as glucuronic acid and polyphenols displaying antioxidant activity [4][5][6]. The low pH value of this beverage, especially owing to the presence of acetic acid in particular and a range of other organic acids, makes kombucha a drink with remarkable antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microorganisms [7][8][9][10] having also probiotic and symbiotic properties [11]. ...
... Many claimed beneficial effects of kombucha may be associated with its antioxidant activities, but when kombucha tea is stored at ordinary temperatures, the biofilm due to the presence of microorganisms continues to form, and might also affect the antioxidant activity. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin-3-gallate are converted into the corresponding epigallocatechin (EGC) and epicatechin (EC), the phenolic concentration in kombucha tea shows a linear increase during the fermentation time [11]. It is worth to note that the beneficial outcomes of the kombucha drink are mainly attributed to the activity of polyphenols, which in turn can act epigenetically [12,13]. ...
Kombucha is a fermented beverage. Its consumption has significantly increased during the last decades due to its perceived beneficial effects. For this reason, it has become a highly commercialized drink that is produced industrially. However, kombucha is still also a homemade beverage, and the parameters which, besides its organoleptic characteristics, define the duration of its potential beneficial properties over time, are poorly known. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of 9-month storage at 4 °C with 30-day sampling on the pH, total phenolic, and flavonoid contents, free radical scavenging properties of kombucha fermented from black tea. Our results highlighted that, after four months, the phenolic content decreased significantly from the initial value of 234.1 ± 1.4 µg GAE mL−1 to 202.9 ± 2.1 µg GAE mL−1, as well its antioxidant capacity tested by two in vitro models, DPPH, and ABTS assays. Concomitantly, the pH value increased from 2.82 to 3.16. The novel findings of this pilot study revealed that kombucha from sugared black tea can be stored at refrigerator temperature for four months. After this period the antioxidant properties of kombucha are no longer retained.
... At the end of the storage, the viability of Lactobacillus plantarum was approximately 8 log CFU/mL, whereas Lactobacillus acidophilus was 4.57 log CFU/mL. Kombucha is another vegetable-based probiotic drink consumed worldwide as a medicinal healthpromoting drink(Kozyrovska et al., 2012). Kombucha beverage is produced by fermenting sugared tea with a symbiosis of yeast spp., fungi, and acetic acid bacteria at ambient temperature for about 7-14 days. ...
Functional foods containing probiotic bacteria are consumed worldwide. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), probiotics are living microorganisms that contribute to the host's overall health when provided in adequate amounts. Fermented dairy products, especially yogurt and other dairy-based products, are good substrates for probiotic delivery. However, recently, consumers have begun to seek alternatives due to lactose intolerance and high fat and cholesterol contents. Moreover, the growing vegetarianism has increased the demand for nondairy probiotic foods. Thus worldwide, researchers are studying probiotic bacteria feasibility in non-dairy products, including fruits, vegetables, and cereals. This study aims to give an overview of various nondairy based products that contain probiotic bacterial strains available worldwide based on fruits, vegetables, cereals, chocolate-based products, and meat products. Moreover, the latest globally available commercial products are also summarized.
... Microbial communities in SCOBY have been considered probiotics, which can balance digestion and absorption processes in the gut and improve the immune system. The micro cellulose present in kombucha also promotes the development of beneficial microorganisms in the intestine [113]. In addition, kombucha has also been reported to increase vitality, reduce skin inflammation, wrinkles, and acne, improve constipation, increase weight loss, and relieve arthritis [86,114]. ...
Kombucha, one of the ordinary fermented beverages consumed worldwide, is produced by fermenting tea and sugar with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts or so-called SCOBY. Kombucha can be made from different types of tea, such as black, green, white, red, and oolong teas, yielding various health benefits and properties. Several species of bacteria and yeasts are involved in the fermentation process, which generates many beneficial compounds, such as polyphenols, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, organic nitrogens, and hydrolytic enzymes, which have significant health effects and therapeutic properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. This review describes recent research on kombucha fermentation, the microbial community in SCOBY, the chemical composition of kombucha, and its health benefits. The adverse effects and prospects of kombucha production were also discussed.
... Outro estudo realizado por Gaggia et al. (16) (18,19,20) . ...
A kombucha é resultante de uma fermentação de chá verde ou chá preto adoçados e adicionados de uma cultura simbiótica de bactérias e leveduras, capaz de fornecer diversas propriedades benéficas a saúde, inclusive ao trato gastrointestinal e imunidade. O chá verde e o chá preto são conhecidos e utilizados há anos devido aos seus benefícios a saúde. Este estudo teve como objetivo a análise e comparação do teor de compostos fenólicos presentes nas kombuchas preparadas a partir do chá verde e chá preto, e nos dois tipos de chás preparados apenas por infusão. A análise e comparação foi feita 15 dias após o início da fermentação das kombuchas e os chás foram congelados até o dia da análise. Ao fim deste trabalho, foi possível observar resultados significativos de compostos fenólicos nas amostras e a permanência destes compostos após a fermentação.
... Kombucha multimicrobial community (KMC) is a natural assemblage of bacteria and yeasts living in metabolic cooperation and streaky in a cellulose-based pellicle film (Pothakos et al., 2016;May et al., 2019;Barbosa et al., 2021). In astrobiology, KMC is used as a model for researching a natural probiotic drink for astronauts during space travel (Kozyrovska et al., 2012(Kozyrovska et al., , 2021. Recent BIOMEX results revealed that key KMC community members were capable of surviving under space and Mars-like conditions (Podolich et al., 2019) and that the bacterial cellulose (BC) produced by KMC retained its robustness under the impact of Mars-like stressors . ...
Komagataeibacter is the dominant taxon and cellulose-producing bacteria in the Kombucha Microbial Community (KMC). This is the first study to isolate the K. oboediens genome from a reactivated space-exposed KMC sample and comprehensively characterize it. The space-exposed genome was compared with the Earth-based reference genome to understand the genome stability of K. oboediens under extraterrestrial conditions during a long time. Our results suggest that the genomes of K. oboediens IMBG180 (ground sample) and K. oboediens IMBG185 (space-exposed) are remarkably similar in topology, genomic islands, transposases, prion-like proteins, and number of plasmids and CRISPR-Cas cassettes. Nonetheless, there was a difference in the length of plasmids and the location of cas genes. A small difference was observed in the number of protein coding genes. Despite these differences, they do not affect any genetic metabolic profile of the cellulose synthesis, nitrogen-fixation, hopanoid lipids biosynthesis, and stress-related pathways. Minor changes are only observed in central carbohydrate and energy metabolism pathways gene numbers or sequence completeness. Altogether, these findings suggest that K. oboediens maintains Frontiers in Microbiology | www.frontiersin.org 1 March 2022 | Volume 13 | Article 782175 Santana de Carvalho et al. Space-Exposed Kombucha Microbial Community its genome stability and functionality in KMC exposed to the space environment most probably due to the protective role of the KMC biofilm. Furthermore, due to its unaffected metabolic pathways, this bacterial species may also retain some promising potential for space applications.
... Kombucha represents a cocktail of metabolites derived from a blend of bacteria (Acetobacter intermedius, A. nitrogenifigens, Gluconacetobacter kombuchae, and G. xylinus) and yeast (Brettanomyces, Pichia, Schizosaccharomyces, Torulaspora, and Zygosaccharomyces). It has been used over 2,000 years due to its health-enhancing effect (Kozyrovska et al., 2012). ...
Food and pharmaceutical industries are facing major challenges in production of functional products to meet the human nutritional and health requirements. One of the potential options is to employ fungi and their metabolites in food and pharmaceutical products. Many fungi are beneficial as food, medicine and possess several biomaterials of industrial significance. Fungal probiotics are known to enhance the human health and their oligosaccharides are compatible prebiotics which are helpful in restoring the equilibrium of normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract. Fungal prebiotics as biopolymers also serve as potential ingredients in functional foods or drugs to serve as nutraceuticals. Functions of prebiotics are further enhanced by the combination of suitable probiotic microorganism/s (called synbiotics) in biotherapy to enhance the nutritional and health benefits in infants and immuno-compromised individuals. The yeast Saccharomyces boulardii is the most studied fungus as probiotic to combat a variety of human diseases. Mushrooms and other filamentous fungi being part of human nutrition, serve dual purpose as probiotics and prebiotics. Fungi are in forefront to produce the enzyme fructosyl transferase (FTase) which provides scope to produce prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on industrial scale, so also the fungal enzyme inulinase. Fungal chitin and their complexes are also potential sources of prebiotics. Knowledge on fungal probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics will create awareness among the consumers and also pave way to produce inexpensive value addition to the existing fermented food stuffs and new food materials with nutraceutical versatilities.
Keywords: Polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, synbiotics, functional foods, biotherapy
Metagenomics studies the collective genomes of the environmental microorganisms using methods of molecular genetics, bioinformatics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Methagenomic analysis gives a possibilitity to reconstract microbial communities, including unculturable microorganisms of practically all ecosystems, to define their functions, interrelationship with macroorganisms etc. In the neasrest time a search for novel genes for biotechnology and pharmaceutic industry will be a key event.
A strategy to understand the microbial components of the human genetic and metabolic landscape and how they contribute to normal physiology and predisposition to disease.
The sanitization at permanently manned lunar bases and consuming
germ-free food in a concert with effect of lunar stressors may result in
crews disorders, including inflammatory and atopic states and decrease
of resistance to indigenous pathogens which present in human organism in
suppressed state. The administration of live microbial supplements with
presumptive health benefits on human physiology might be reasonable
solution to prevent disbacteriosis. Many of microbial species are
associated with the fermentation of dairy products, however, they have a
short self-life and so far unpractical to be used at lunar habitation.
The popular "Tea mushroom" or "Kombucha Tea" is a probiotics proven by
FDA that many people are now taking in health promoting diets to
detoxify and revitalize the organism (Danielian, 1993; Sreeramulu et
al., 2001). Kombucha is composed by symbiotic bacteria and yeasts,
surrounded by a permeable membrane. The Kombucha culture is a tiny
biochemical factory, producing organic acids, amino acids, enzymes,
polyphenols, antibiotic substances, vitamins, enzymes as well as some
other products beneficial for human health. Within the ages the Kombucha
Tea has been consumed by practically all nations in Far East and now in
Eastern Europe and America due to probiotic properties, and within this
period the Kombucha microbial ecosystem has been selected to be
remarkably adaptive to culturing conditions and resistant to adverse
factors. Metagenomic approaches in a study of microbial ecosystems will
allow to reconstruct the Kombucha microbiome and to elucidate unknown
species and genes on the base of bioinformatics programs. Compared with
Kombucha wild type, metabolically engineered strains, expected to
exhibit broader substrate specificity, utilizing sugars from waste
material which will be used for Kombucha fermentation. References 1.
Danielian L.T. (1993) Tea fungus. Publ. House "Armenia", 112 pp. 2.
Palmer C., Bik E.M., DiGiulio D.B., Relman D.A., Brown P.O. (2007)
Development of the Human Infant Intestinal Microbiota. PLoS Biol 5(7):
e177. 3. Sreeramulu G., Zhu Y., Knol W. (2001) Characterization of
antimicrobial activity in Kom-bucha fermentation. Acta Biotechnol.
21:49-56. 4. Versalovic J., Relman R. (2006) How bacterial communities
expand functional repertoires. PLoS Biol 4(12): e430.
Tea fungus is symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and yeasts, widely used to produce kombucha tea. Due to the rich biomass
in tea fungus, it can be utilized as protein supplement in animal feed. The present study aimed to analyze the biochemical
characteristics of tea fungus with the effect of fermentation time. Proximate, amino acids, and elemental analysis of tea
fungus produced during kombucha fermentation were studied along with total count of microflora. Results suggested that tea
fungus is rich in crude protein, crude fibre, and amino acid lysine. The biochemical characteristics of tea fungus studied
were increased throughout the fermentation time.
Keywordskombucha-tea fungus-fermentation-cellulosic pellicle-proximate analysis
Probiotics can affect the immune homeostasis by altering the gut microbial balance and enhancing the immune system of gut, thus benefits in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis. Relative gene expression of pro, anti-inflammatory cytokines and other molecules in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis mouse model against Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91 (L. plantarum Lp91) was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) using relative expression software tool (REST 2008 V2.0.7). L. plantarum Lp91 evoked significant down regulation of TNF-α and COX2 to 0.026 and 0.077 fold in colitis mouse model. No significant difference in expression of IL-12a cytokine in colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91 was also observed. IL-10 was significantly up-regulated to 37.813 and 1.327 fold in colitis and non-colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91. While, other anti-inflammatory markers i.e. COX1, IL-4 and IL-6 were significantly up regulated in colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91. MUC2 gene was significantly up regulated to 2.216 fold in non-colitis group. L. plantarum Lp91, an indigenous probiotic culture, the main subject of this project exhibited strong immunemodulatory properties under in vivo conditions in mouse colitis model.
The aim of this study was to investigate the potential radioprotective effect of kombucha musroom tea (KM – tea) on gamma radiation (γ) – induced chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. For this purpose, we used in vitro dose-effect relationship, and correlated these data with statistical parameters. CAs were classified into six major types as break, dicentric, acentric, fragment, gap and ring. Mitotic index (MI) and the numbers of aberrant metaphases (AMN) were also calculated for each donor. Six groups of the lymphocytes were prepared by in vitro culture according to the standard protocol. Group I (control) did not receive any γ – radiation or KM – tea, Group II (positive control) was treated with 1000 µl dose of KM – tea alone, Group III was treated with 5 Gy dose of γ – radiation alone, Group IV was treated with 250 µl dose of KM – tea before irradiation, Group V was treated with 500 µl KM – tea before irradiation, Group VI was treated with 1000 µl KM–tea before irradiation. The results indicated that all KM–tea supplemented lymphocytes had lower frequency of CAs than in the group treated with γ -radiation alone (p<0.05). It was seen that KM – tea had a protective effect againist CAs particularly at 500 and 1000 µl doses. Besides, MI values increased and AMN decreased after application of KM – tea in a dose/ dependent manner. In vitro results showed that KM – tea supplementation may decrease the frequency of CAs and its radioprotective action against ionizing radiation is dose-dependent.
BACKGROUND: Traditional kombucha tea (TKT) is produced by mixed tea fungus. We previously proposed Gluconacetobacter sp. A4 as the key functional strain in kombucha culture, because it had strong ability to produce D-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone (DSL, a crucial functional component in KT). This study investigated the hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant activities of TKT and modified KT (MKT, tea broth fermented by single Gluconacetobacter sp. A4).
RESULTS:In vitro, TKT and MKT, but not DSL equally increased the radical scavenging effects and inhibited low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. In vivo, the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering effects were not different between MKT and TKT. Compared with TKT, MKT showed a significantly elevated effect on the increase of antioxidantive enzymes activities (total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase) and the decrease of malondialdehyde. Meanwhile DSL demonstrated an enhanced activity in lipid profile and antioxidant activities.
CONCLUSION: KT had the hypocholesterolaemic and antioxidant effects. These effects were largely attributed to DSL. MKT was similar to or even more powerful than TKT in antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic effects. Thus, Gluconacetobacter sp. A4 was further established as the main functional microorganism in kombucha culture. Moreover, KT may be useful in treating obesity. Copyright
Summary Biologically active substances (water soluble vitamins and minerals) were analyzed in ‘Kombucha’—a curative liquor, produced by the so-called ‘Kombucha cultivation’ (Macedonian collection of microorganisms, No 734) in sweet black tea decoct. The water soluble vitamins in the Kombucha drink were separated and identified using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and quantified by the comparison of their chromatographic UV spectra with the reference compounds. Four soluble vitamins have been determinated to have the following concentrations: vitamin B1 0.74 mg ml−1, vitamin B6 0.52 mg ml−1, vitamin B12 0.84 mg ml−1 and vitamin C 1.51 mg ml−1. Mineral elements of nutritional and toxicological importance were determined in dissolved ash using atomic absorption chromatography (AAS). Mineral composition content involved determination of the essential elements: zinc, copper, iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt. Investigations of some toxic elements showed that lead and chromium were present in very small amounts, whereas cadmium was not found.
A new ascosporogenous yeast, Zygosaccharomyces kombuchaensis sp. n. (type strain NRRL YB-4811, CBS 8849), is described; it was isolated from Kombucha tea, a popular fermented tea-based beverage. The four known strains of the new species have identical nucleotide sequences in domain D1/D2 of 26S rDNA. Phylogenetic analysis of D1/D2 and 18S rDNA sequences places Z. kombuchaensis near Zygosaccharomyces lentus. The two species are indistinguishable on standard physiological tests used for yeast identification, but can be recognized from differences in restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns obtained by digestion of 18S-ITS1 amplicons with the restriction enzymes DdeI and MboI.