Detection and control of off-flavour compound-producing streptomycetes on locally produced nuts using streptophages

Abstract

Members of the phylum Actinomycetota are the most prominent part of the soil microbiota, more specifically the species within the genus Streptomyces of this phylum. Key functions of Streptomyces species (or streptomycetes in general terms) include nutrient cycling and plant growth promotion and disease protection. However, these species can also produce volatile organic compounds, predominantly geosmin, which is responsible for musty and mildew scents that are unpleasant to humans and can negatively impact the nut crop industry as odorous nuts generally lose their market value. Bacterial viruses, called bacteriophages have been previously used successfully in agriculture and aquaculture to remove such odorous species and they may therefore be applied to the nut industry. To eliminate these compounds, the producer streptomycetes may be selectively removed from nut surfaces using streptophages. The removal of Streptomyces species from nut surfaces can then be expected to minimise geosmin production, therefore removing the unpleasant off-flavours and benefiting the nut industry.

Integrating the United Nations’ sustainable development goals into a teaching–research nexus: examples from the University of the Sunshine Coast

“…Examples of student learnings included water quality, waste management, bioremediation, biological control of plant diseases replacing hazardous pesticides with environmentally friendly ones and implementation of diverse microbially mediated solutions to regional problems. 6,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] UniSC's microbiology stream has also facilitated incremental building of research projects having similar problems (e.g. pollution in aquaculture, marine environments) encountered within the same region that Australia shares (e.g.…”

“…33 The outputs of regionally focussed projects undertaken at the UniSC by the microbiology stream students, which are aligned with the UNESCO's Learning Objectives (cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural), are listed in the reference section. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]…”

“…Author gratefully acknowledges all regional and state partners for collaborative projects undertaken in collaboration. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Author affiliation A School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Maroochydore BC, Qld 4558, Australia.…”