Pangenomics – an avenue to improved industrial starter cultures and probiotics

With the dramatic reductions in the cost and time involved in DNA sequencing, a new approach to characterisation of bacteria is emerging. It is based on a comparison of complete genome sequences of a number of members of the same species (pangenomics). Pangenomics opens an array of new opportunities for understanding and improving industrial starter cultures and probiotics. These include understanding the formation of texture and flavour in dairy products, understanding the functionality of probiotics as well as providing information that can be used for strain screening, strain improvement, safety assessments and process improvements.

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► Genome sequencing is an efficient, cost-effective way of characterizing microbes.
► Pangenome analysis gives new insight into texture formation in yoghurt.
► Pangenome analysis of probiotic strains has identified new effect or molecules.
► Pangenome analysis gives insight into probiotic–host specificity.
► Future perspectives include improved strains for food fermentations and probiotics.