Local domestication of lactic acid bacteria via cassava beer fermentation

Abstract

Cassava beer, or chicha, is typically consumed daily by the indigenous Shuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. This traditional beverage made from cassava tuber (Manihot esculenta) is thought to improve nutritional quality and flavor while extending shelf life in a tropical climate. Bacteria responsible for chicha fermentation could be a source of microbes for the human microbiome, but little is known regarding the microbiology of chicha. We investigated bacterial community composition of chicha batches using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Fermented chicha samples were collected from seven Shuar households in two neighboring villages in the Morona-Santiago region of Ecuador, and the composition of the bacterial communities within each chicha sample was determined by sequencing a region of the 16S ribosomal gene. Members of the genus Lactobacillus dominated all samples. Significantly greater phylogenetic similarity was observed among chicha samples taken within a village than those from different villages. Community composition varied among chicha samples, even those separated by short geographic distances, suggesting that ecological and/or evolutionary processes, including human-mediated factors, may be responsible for creating locally distinct ferments. Our results add to evidence from other fermentation systems suggesting that traditional fermentation may be a form of domestication, providing endemic beneficial inocula for consumers, but additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms and extent of microbial dispersal.

Bacteria associated to human saliva are major microbial components of Ecuadorian indigenous beers (chicha)

“…Also, these bacteria are known to form biofilm (Ajdic, et al, 2002;Li, et al, 2002) which may change bacterial location and reduction of planktonic cells. Additionally, unlike our study Colehour, et al, 2014 found predominance of L. reuteri which is known to antagonize S. salivarius (Nikawa, et al, 2004;Corby, et al, 2005). Similar to previous studies (Colehour, et al, 2014;Elizaquivel, et al, 2010;Puerari, et al, 2015), Lactobacillus was a dominant genus of lactic bacteria in chicha found in both culture dependent and independent assessments.…”

“…A recent study failed to detect S. mutans and S. salivarius in chicha prepared with chewed cassava in Ecuador (Colehour, et al, 2014). The disagreement between both studies may result from differences in samples in both studies ;Colehour, et al, 2014 collected beers that were fermenting for 4 days while we collected samples that were fermenting for 3 days.…”

“…Indigenous people from South America (such as Ecuador) prepare a type of beer known as chicha which is made with either corn, boiled cassava or the fruit of the palm Bactris gasipaes (chonta); some cassava beers include an additional chewing step before the fermentation process. A recent report showed that bacteria present in chewed cassava beers were mainly Lactobacillus sp (Colehour, et al, 2014). We analyzed the microbial diversity (using culture dependent and culture independent techniques) in different types of Ecuadorian chicha.…”

Determination of the microbiological quality and proximate composition of fermented cassava food products sold in Ilorin-west local government area, Nigeria

“…The difference in the carbohydrate content might be due to the preliminary loss of soluble carbohydrate in the previous unit processing of the cassava tubers. The reduction in the carbohydrate content from the garri samples might also be due to the fact that the isolated microorganisms have the tendency to utilize the garri sample as source of carbon source for their usage and sustainability (Colehour et al 2014, Oyeyiola et al 2014. Fufu (market C) was significantly higher (p<0.05) in moisture content of 72.25 % than all the other fermented cassava food products.…”

Identification of aromatic compounds and their sensory characteristics in cassava flakes and “garri” (Manihot esculentaCrantz)

“…In recent times, food researchers have discovered new ways to use cassava. Some of the new products made from cassava are chips (Nambisan & Sundaresan, 1985;Vitrac, Dufour, Trystram, & Raoult-Wack, 2001), fermented beer (Colehour et al, 2014), bread (Pasqualone et al, 2010), cake (Sanful & Darko, 2010), tapioca (Adebowale, Sanni, Awonorin, Daniel, & Kuye, 2007;Sanni, Atere, & Kuye, 1997), biofuel (Hu, Tan, & Pu, 2006;Nguyen, Gheewala, & Garivait, 2007;Papong & Malakul, 2010), and medicine (La Frano, Woodhouse, Burnett, & Burri, 2013). Cassava, when dried to a powdery (or pearly) extract, is called tapioca; its fermented, flaky version is named "garri" or "gari".…”