Location: Commodity Utilization Research
Title: Microbial isolates from North American sugar beet factory juices and biofilmsAuthor
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Qi, Yunci |
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Terrell, Evan |
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Bruni, Gillian |
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YASSIN, ZIANAB - Beet Sugar Development Foundation |
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Kandel, Shyam |
Submitted to: Journal of Sugar Beet Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/17/2024 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: During extraction of raw sugar from sugar beet crops in factories, microbes from infected plant roots and soil can be carried into the resulting juices in the factories. These microbes degrade sucrose and some can form biofilms on factory equipment or clog filters. This study was performed on samples collected at 18 sugar beet factories across North America to obtain microbial isolates from juices and biofilms for further characterization relating to issues relating to raw sugar manufacturing. In total, 379 isolates were obtained from 33 diffuser tower juice samples and 233 isolates were obtained from 21 biofilm samples. A subset of 54 isolates were grown in high sucrose-containing medium and examined for the ability to increase culture fluid thickness. 10 of these microbes were identified as capable of producing high viscosity in flask cultures, like due to production of polysaccharides, which will be further studied to assess the impact of bacterial polysaccharides that can cause operational challenges such as increased viscosity and filter clogs. Technical Abstract: During processing of sugar beets, microbes from infected roots, storage piles, and soils carryover throughout sugar extraction, resulting in sucrose losses and operational challenges. In this study, diffusion tower juice and biofilm samples were obtained from 18 North American factories for microbial sampling. A broad sampling strategy was applied to obtain diverse microbial isolates for further experimental characterization for issues relating to raw sugar manufacturing, such as impacts from bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS). In total, 379 isolates, belonging to 22 genera, were obtained from 33 diffuser tower juice samples and 233 isolates, belonging to 26 genera, were obtained from 21 biofilm samples. A subset of 54 strains (25 from juice and 29 from biofilm) representing the most common genera (Leuconostoc, Peribacillus, Bacillus, Pantoea, Rahnella, Acinetobacter, and Weissella) were grown in high sucrose-containing medium. Among these, 10 strains were identified as capable of producing high viscosity in the flask cultures, likely due to their exopolysaccharide production, and will be targeted for future analyses. |