Yeast Diversity in Honey and Pollen Samples from Stingless Bees in the State of Bahia, Brazil: Use of the MALDI-TOF MS/Genbank Proteomic Technique

Abstract

(1) Background: The identification of microorganisms includes traditional biochemical methods, molecular biology methods evaluating the conserved regions of rRNA, and the molecular biology of proteins (proteomics), such as MALDI-TOF MS mass spectrometry. This work aimed to identify the biodiversity of yeasts associated with stingless bee species’ honey and pollen, Melipona scutellaris, Nannotrigona testaceicornes, and Tetragonisca angustula, from the region of São Gonçalo dos Campos-Bahia (BA) state, Brazil. (2) Methods: Cellular proteins were extracted from 2837 microbial isolates (pollen and honey) and identified via MALDI-TOF MS. The identified yeast species were also compared to the mass spectra of taxonomically well-characterized reference strains, available from the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. (3) Results: Nine yeast species were identified: Candida maltosa, Candida norvegica, Kazachstania telluris, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Scheffersomyces insectosus, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Kazachstania exigua, and Starmerella lactis-condensi. Nannotrigona testaceicornes pollen had the highest number of yeast colonies. The yeasts Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Kazachstania telluris showed high populations in the samples of Nannotrigona testaceicornes and Melipona scutellaris, respectively. This work shows that there is some sharing of the same species of yeast between honey and pollen from the same beehive. (4) Conclusions: A total of 71.84% of the identified species present a high level of confidence at the species level. Eight yeast species (Candida maltosa, Candida norvegica, Kazachstania telluris, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Scheffersomyces insectosus, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Kazachstania exigua, and Starmerella lactis-condensi) were found for the first time in the samples that the authors inspected. This contributes to the construction of new knowledge about the diversity of yeasts associated with stingless bee products, as well as to the possibility of the biotechnological application of some yeast species.

Biological Significance of Probiotic Microorganisms from Kefir and Kombucha: A Review

“…Studies on the action of probiotic microorganisms on the host immune system have been carried out for some time [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][27][28][29][30][31]. Recent and non-recent bibliographies, most reporting studies with lactic acid bacteria, have shown that probiotics have an immunostimulant effect in animals and humans, although the mechanisms by which this occurs are not yet fully understood [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…This is necessary to adequately nourish the body in terms of quantity and quality, providing all the essential nutrients for proper functioning. This is also necessary to ensure good digestion and adequate absorption of ingested nutrients [4][5][6][7].…”

“…In recent decades, dietary habits and lifestyle have undergone several changes, leading to an overload on the body’s systems, such as the consumption of processed foods and fast-food, and sedentary behavior. This scenario has prompted people to seek alternatives to improve their health and nutrition [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Functional clinical nutrition is a contemporary approach to promoting the science of nutrition, aiming to assess the interaction of the body with food.…”