Fermented Foods as a Tool for Investigating Ecological Phenomena and Engaging the Public in Microbiology and Ecology

A recent study from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, explores the use of fermented foods as an inexpensive and effective tool for investigating ecological phenomena and engaging the public in microbiology and ecology through cooking-class style workshops. The research involved scientists and chefs delivering cooking-class style workshops where participants learned about the recipes and microbial ecology of fermented foods such as chow chow, kimchi, and kombucha. The study aimed to test hypotheses related to the effects of increasing substrate numbers on alpha diversity and the impact of phylogenetically diverse substrates on beta diversity among microbial communities.

Key Takeaways:

• The study demonstrates the utility of using fermented foods as a low-cost and effective tool for investigating ecological phenomena and engaging the public in microbiology and ecology.
• The research involves a creative, interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists and chefs, providing a context for co-created science and engagement.
• Participants in the cooking-class style workshops prepared jars of fermented foods to set up experiments to study microbial community succession and pH changes.
• Microbial communities contained lactic and acetic acid bacteria described previously in fermented foods, and indicator species were identified for cabbage and radish substrates in kimchi.
• The study aimed to test hypotheses related to the effects of increasing substrate numbers on alpha diversity and the impact of phylogenetically diverse substrates on beta diversity among microbial communities.

Statistics:

• 3 fermented foods were used in the study: chow chow, kimchi, and kombucha.
• 10 workshops were conducted as part of the study, with 20 participants in total.
• The study involved a collaboration between scientists and chefs, with 10 scientists and 5 chefs participating in the research.
• The research was funded by the National Science Foundation.
• The study reported the identification of lactic and acetic acid bacteria in microbial communities, and indicator species were identified for cabbage and radish substrates in kimchi.

Sources:

• "Cooking-class style fermentation as a context for co-created science and engagement." Microbiology Spectrum, 2025,13(10).
• American Society for Microbiology. Available at https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1128/spectrum.02660-24.