Team:Austin UTexas

Description

Kombucha is a fermented tea that contains a symbiotic community which is characterized by the relationship between ethanol-producing yeast and bacteria that use this ethanol to produce acetic acid as well as bacterial cellulose. Due to this unique microbiome, many claims have been made regarding the health benefits that come with imbibing in this beverage. However, none of these claims have been proven scientifically. Even so, many are quick to to jump on the bandwagon and try to create a profit from the rising popularity of kombucha. The Kombucha Brewers International, a non-profit trade association, has reported a growth of 50% a year in the kombucha industry, and they also state that the growth has shown no signs of slowing down in the near future.1 Because of the growing popularity of kombucha and the fact that it has such a diverse community of microbes, we believe that our research can not only add to the field of synthetic biology, but help grow the industry of genetically modified foods. Our goal is to create a designer beverage with added benefits that come from the genetic modification of the microbiome inside. We followed certain steps in order to attempt to achieve our goal.

  1. To isolate and identify different microbes in kombucha through various growth mediums and antibiotics, while using 16s sequencing to reveal the identities of the microorganisms.
  2. To prove that genetic engineering is possible with the bacteria in kombucha by using conjugation to transfer a plasmid with a gene that produces GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein).
  3. To confirm successful conjugation by utilizing 16s sequencing to reveal the identities of the potential transconjugants.
  4. To design a construct(s) in bacteria endogenous to kombucha that adds a beneficial aspect to the drink.
  5. To recapitulate create kombucha from scratch by adding specific strains of bacteria and yeast, including the transconjugants that contain our construct(s).


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