Food Microbiome Accounts for Around 3% of Adult Gut Microbiome

Researchers have created a database of the food microbiome. They identified 10,899 food-associated microbes via the sequencing of metagenomes of 2,533 different foods. They estimate that food-associated microbes comprise about 3% of the adult and 56% of the infant gut microbiome. The database could help in understanding how food quality, conservation, safety, and other characteristics are linked with the microbes they contain, and it has potential implications for human health and food safety.