High-throughput sequencing-based characterisation of fermented foods and their impacts on host gut microbiota

Walsh, Aaron M.

High-throughput sequencing-based characterisation of fermented foods and their impacts on host gut microbiota

dc.check.opt-out	Not applicable	en
dc.check.reason	This thesis contains data which has not yet been published	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Claesson, Marcus	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Cotter, Paul	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Crispie, Fiona	en
dc.contributor.author	Walsh, Aaron M.
dc.date.accessioned	2019-02-08T12:21:03Z
dc.date.issued	2018
dc.date.submitted	2018
dc.description.abstract	Fermentation has been practised worldwide for millennia as a method to preserve or enhance foods, and, today, fermented foods remain a significant component in the human diet. Additionally, these foods are becoming increasingly popular since numerous health benefits have been ascribed to them, and thus it is necessary to (1) optimise their production, (2) assess their safety, and (3) determine the mechanisms by which they confer these effects. In this thesis, we examine if high-throughput sequencing technologies, particularly shotgun metagenomics, can address these needs. In Chapters 3 and 4, we show that shotgun metagenomics, when used alongside metabolomics, can be applied to understand the ways in which the microbiota influences flavour development in fermented foods. In Chapter 5, we report that shotgun metagenomics can accurately, and rapidly, detect pathogenic strains in fermented foods. In Chapter 6, we demonstrate that the choice of bioinformatics tools has a significant impact on shotgun metagenomic analysis of fermented foods. Finally, in Chapter 7, we provide evidence that a traditional fermented food modulates the gut microbiota in mice, while simultaneously reducing anxious-like behaviours in the animals. Overall, this thesis highlights that high-throughput sequencing is an invaluable tool for studying fermented foods. We illustrate that the technology not only expands our knowledge on the roles played by microorganisms during food fermentations, but it can also be used to ensure food safety or even investigate the ways in which these foods affect the host. Thus, high-throughput sequencing can bridge the gap between traditional food microbiology and health.	en
dc.description.status	Not peer reviewed	en
dc.description.version	Accepted Version
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Walsh, A. M. 2018. High-throughput sequencing-based characterisation of fermented foods and their impacts on host gut microbiota. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.	en
dc.identifier.endpage	391	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10468/7469
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	University College Cork	en
dc.rights	© 2018, Aaron M. Walsh.	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/	en
dc.subject	Fermented foods	en
dc.subject	Microbiota	en
dc.subject	High-throughput sequencing	en
dc.subject	Shotgun metagenomics	en
dc.subject	Bioinformatics	en
dc.thesis.opt-out	false
dc.title	High-throughput sequencing-based characterisation of fermented foods and their impacts on host gut microbiota	en
dc.type	Doctoral thesis	en
dc.type.qualificationlevel	Doctoral	en
dc.type.qualificationname	PhD	en
ucc.workflow.supervisor	m.claesson@ucc.ie