Microbial ecology of alfalfa, radish, and rapeseed sprouts based on culture methods and 16S rRNA microbiome sequencing

Min Ji Jang, Seo Young Kim, Steven C. Ricke, Min Suk Rhee, Sun Ae Kim

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    23 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Sprouts harbor high populations of bacteria and cause numerous foodborne disease outbreaks, yet little is known about their microbial composition. The present study aimed to define the microbiological ecology of sprouts using 16S rRNA microbiome sequencing and culture-dependent methods. Different types (radish, alfalfa, and rapeseed), brands (A, B, and C), and distribution routes (online and offline) of sprouts (n = 70) were considered for microbiome analysis, as well as quantitative (aerobic plate count and coliforms) and qualitative analyses (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium). The aerobic plate count ranged from 7 to 8 CFU/g, and the coliforms ranged from 6 to 7 log CFU/g. Microbiome analysis revealed that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum, accounting for 79.0% in alfalfa sprouts, 68.5% in rapeseed sprouts, and 61.9% in radish sprouts. Enterobacteriaceae was the dominant family in alfalfa sprouts (33.9%) and rapeseed sprouts (14.6%), while Moraxellaceae (11.9%) were prevalent on radish sprouts. The majority of the dominant genera were common in the environment, such as soil or water. Alfalfa sprouts yielded the lowest aerobic plate count but the highest relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae compared to the other sprouts. These results could explain why alfalfa sprouts are a leading cause of sprout-related foodborne disease outbreaks. Alpha-diversity results (Chao1 and Shannon indices) suggested that species richness was greater on radish sprouts than the other sprout types. Beta-diversity results showed samples were clustered by types, indicating dissimilarity in microbial communities. However, the distribution route had a limited influence on microbial composition. The present study provides a comparative examination of the microbial profiles of sprouts. Microbiome analyses contribute to an in-depth understanding of the microbial ecology of sprouts, leading to potential control measures for ensuring food safety.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number110316
    JournalFood Research International
    Volume144
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jun

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education [grant number 2020R1F1A1072556]. The authors also thank the Department of Food Science and Engineering of Ewha Womans University for BK21 FOUR.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

    Keywords

    • 16S rRNA sequencing
    • Alfalfa
    • Microbial composition
    • Microbiota
    • Next-generation sequencing
    • Radish
    • Rapeseed
    • Sprout

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Food Science

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