Successfully isolated microbes from various samples of kombucha.
Identified strains of bacteria and yeast using rRNA gene sequencing.
Characterized each of the isolated microbes to facilitate further experimentation.
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Recapitulation
In a process called "recapitulation," we successfully created a kombucha-like culture by adding individual strains of microbes instead of a living culture containing the entire kombucha microbiome.
Determined that the microbe Ga. hansenii is essential for the fermentation of kombucha.
Determined that multiple strains of the yeast Lachancea fermentati are necessary for the fermentation of kombucha.
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Conjugation
Attempted conjugation with G. oxydans.
Performed minimum inhibitory concentration experiments between G. oxydans and spectinomycin, carbenicillin and kanamycin.
Determined that G. oxydans is resistant to spectinomycin and carbenicillin.
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Ethanol
Found in literature sequences for genes involved in the metabolism of ethanol to acetic acid in the bacterium Ga. hansenii.
Designed Golden Gate parts for the assembly of these genes into a functional construct.
Used a bromothymol blue assay to compare changes in pH resulting from fermentation in multiple strains of Lachancea fermentati isolated from our kombucha.
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pH Sensors
Successfully created a neutral pH sensor.
Characterized the P-atp2 Biobrick.
Identified a potential pH sensor in Gluconobacter oxydans.
