Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 11:00 AM
Project Type
Poster
Description
Products of microbial fermentation such as probiotic yogurt have been found to confer health benefits, such as inhibiting fungal and bacterial growth, prevention of oral, mammary neoplasia and multidrug-resistant myeloid leukemia. Water kefir, or tibicos, is a type of symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria that shows potential to be used as preventative and chemotherapeutic agent against cancer. Here, we study water kefir in terms of its microbial composition to determine the species of microorganism responsible for producing the proposed antineoplastic extracellular polymeric substance, using both culture-dependent and independent techniques. Selective and non-selective media were used to promote the growth of both yeast and bacteria. Pure cultures were examined for antineoplastic exopolysaccharide using optical means such as UV-vis. Metagenomic analysis using 16sRNA DNA were performed to examine individual microbial species that culture-dependent methods could not isolate. Because of the complexity of microbial composition present in water kefir and the large range of bioactivity of the extracellular polymeric substance, preliminary findings will be presented.
Faculty Sponsor
Ron Peck
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Biology Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Natural Sciences
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
181
Included in
Identification of Water Kefir Microbial Composition and Rapidly Growing Yeast
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Products of microbial fermentation such as probiotic yogurt have been found to confer health benefits, such as inhibiting fungal and bacterial growth, prevention of oral, mammary neoplasia and multidrug-resistant myeloid leukemia. Water kefir, or tibicos, is a type of symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria that shows potential to be used as preventative and chemotherapeutic agent against cancer. Here, we study water kefir in terms of its microbial composition to determine the species of microorganism responsible for producing the proposed antineoplastic extracellular polymeric substance, using both culture-dependent and independent techniques. Selective and non-selective media were used to promote the growth of both yeast and bacteria. Pure cultures were examined for antineoplastic exopolysaccharide using optical means such as UV-vis. Metagenomic analysis using 16sRNA DNA were performed to examine individual microbial species that culture-dependent methods could not isolate. Because of the complexity of microbial composition present in water kefir and the large range of bioactivity of the extracellular polymeric substance, preliminary findings will be presented.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/409