Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology

A systems biology approach to reveal the sweet secrets of maple syrup quality

Joint Event on 4^th World Congress and Expo on Applied Microbiology & 2^nd International Conference on Food Microbiology

November 29-December 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain

Marie Filteau

Laval University, Canada

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Microb Biochem Technol

Abstract:

Maple syrup is a natural sweetener produced from the concentration of maple sap during the North-American spring season. Over the last decades, maple syrup production transitioned from artisanal to industrial, leading to annual productions of nearly ten million gallons in Canada. The increased volumes now justify the need to address quality variation in the product. A range of color grades, but also flavors and defects are encountered in maple syrup. We previously showed that maple sap microbial contamination and predominant populations are correlated with syrup quality. However, the causality underlying these correlations remains to be explored. Are microorganisms directly responsible for changes in quality, or are they only reflecting changes in maple sap chemical composition driven by the tree metabolism? To improve our understanding of maple sap composition variation, we applied a systems biology approach using a collection of barcoded Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion strains as a biological reporter. By competing these genetically modified yeasts in various maple sap samples, we identified metabolic pathways linked to nutrient utilization that vary over the collecting season, one of which is associated with a major flavor defect. We also identified allantoic acid as the principal nitrogen source in map sap, which may play a major role in modulating microbial contamination. The next step is to identify how these molecules directly contribute to maple syrup quality and how maple sap microorganisms respond to variations in these limiting nutrient sources. Such knowledge may ultimately help devise microbial-based strategies to improve maple syrup quality. Recent Publications 1. Filteau M, Charron G and Landry C R (2017) Identification of the fitness determinants of budding yeast on a natural substrate. The ISME Journal. 11(4) :959-971. 2. VanderSluis B, Hess D C, Pesyna, C, Krumholz E W, Syed T, Szappanos, B and Caudy A A (2014) Broad metabolic sensitivity profiling of a prototrophic yeast deletion collection. Genome Biology. 15(4):R64. 3. Smith A M, Heisler L E, Mellor J, Kaper F, Thompson M J, Chee M and Nislow C (2009) Quantitative phenotyping via deep barcode sequencing. Genome research. 19(10):1836-1842. 4. Filteau, M, Lagacé L, LaPointe G and Roy D. (2012). Maple sap predominant microbial contaminants are correlated with the physicochemical and sensorial properties of maple syrup. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 154(12) :30-36. 5. Filteau, M, Lagacé L, LaPointe G and Roy D (2011) Correlation of maple sap composition with bacterial and fungal communities determined by multiplex automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (MARISA). Food Microbiology. 28(5):980-989.

Biography :

Marie Filteau has her expertise in Microbial Ecology, Systems Biology and Evolution. She is a Professor at the Department of Food Science at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. She has fundamental interests in microbial ecosystems, in microbial interactions, their role in microbiome functions, and their impact on food quality. Her applied research is focused towards maple and meat products.