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Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET)

Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET). Research topics and expertise Head : Prof. Dr. ir. Willy Verstraete. Mission . Microbial Ecology. Strategic research. Applied research. Technology. General overview. Strategic research Applied research Tools and instruments

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Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET)

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  1. Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET) Research topics and expertise Head : Prof. Dr. ir. Willy Verstraete

  2. Mission Microbial Ecology Strategic research Applied research Technology

  3. General overview • Strategic research • Applied research • Tools and instruments • Focus on SHIME-Tec

  4. Strategic Research • Microbial communities • Quorum sensing • Electron shuttling • Horizontal gene transfer • Metabolomics

  5. Applied Research • Environmental Microbiology • Wastewater • Microbial fuel cells • Biodegradation • Anaerobic treatment • Nitrogen removal strategies • Minimizing wast sludge

  6. Applied Research • Environmental Microbiology • Soil / Sediments • Bioprecipitation of catalytic particles • Anaerobic removal of organochlorine contaminants • Soil and river sludge clean-up • Pesticide degradation and ecotoxicology

  7. Applied Research • Environmental Microbiology • Solid Wastes • Solid waste treatment • De-icing • Buildings and structures • Biologically mediated CaCO3 formation • Microbial induced corrosion • Air • Indoor air pollution • Biotrickling filtration

  8. Applied Research • Gastro-intestinal Microbiology • Functional foods • Pro- / pre- / synbiotics • Bioactivation of food components • Rumen microbiology • Risk assessment • Environmental contaminants • Toxic food processing metabolites • Phage therapy

  9. Applied Research • Foodchain Microbiology • Drinking water • Hygienisation • Water recycling • Pathogen abatement • Aquaculture systems • Habitat research • Epiphytes on grain • Space station life cycles • Deep sea methane oxidation

  10. Tools and instruments • Reactor Technology • Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) • Activated sludge systems • Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed reactors • Microbial Fuel cells • Membrane reactors • Rotating disc reactors • Dialysis reactors

  11. Tools and instruments • Molecular Analysis • PCR • DGGE • FISH • Realtime PCR • Cloning • Flow Cytometry

  12. Tools and instruments • Microbial analysis • Epifluorescence and light microscopy • Growth kinetics • Microbial isolations and enrichments • Metabolic activity • Bioassays • Biodegradation assays

  13. Tools and instruments • Physico – chemical analysis • Gas chromatography • HPLC • Ion chromatography • Spectrophotometry • Atom absorption • BOD, COD, TSS, VSS, NOX, TOC,…

  14. Contact information LabMET – Ghent University Coupure Links 653 B-9000 Gent http://labMET.ugent.be/ +32/9/264.59.76

  15. The LabMET group

  16. SHIME-Tec

  17. SHIME-Tec

  18. SHIME-Tec

  19. Microbial conversion of phytoestrogens • Soy phytoestrogens: • Daidzine  daidzein  equol (microbial action) • Equol has beneficial health effects • Microbial consortium applicable as probiotic • Hop phytoestrogens: • Isoxanthohumol  hoppein (8-prenylnaringenin or 8-PN) • Carried out by colon microbiota • Importance for hop supplements, beer industry…

  20. Equol production

  21. 8-PN production

  22. Colon microbiota activate PAHs PAHs are not estrogenic: colon microbiota biotransform them to estrogenic metabolites

  23. Beneficial conversion Short chain fatty acids Phytoestrogen Bactericidal compounds Detrimental conversion Putrefactive compounds Toxins Promutagen  mutagen (PAH  estrogenic metabolite) Inulin exerts prebiotic effects Promotes beneficial conversion New finding: inulin inhibits conversion of promutagen to mutagen Chemopreventive effects: added-value property of prebiotics Chemopreventive effect from inulin Gut microbiota

  24. Decrease of cholesterol levels in blood • Lactobacillus reuteri • Bile salt hydrolase activity • Reduction of cholesterol levels • In vitro: • experiments with SHIME indicate survival of probiotic strain under in vitro conditions (stomach, small intestine, colon • In vivo: • Pigs fed with L. reuteri for 4 weeks showed significantly lower cholesterol levels • De Smet et al. 1998. British Journal of Nutrition, 79: 185-194

  25. ACE Bioactive peptides Aim: are bioactive peptides transported ? Blood pressure lowering / ACE-inhibitory peptides ala-leu-pro-met-his-ile-arg (837 g/mol) Ang I Ang II Blood pressure rises Blood pressure drops Bradykinin inactive fragments

  26. Bioactive peptides

  27. PHB accumulating bacteria • Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) • Microbial consortium which stores PHB • Add consortium as prebiotic to artemia • PHB  hydroxybutyrate  butyrate • Protection of artemia against pathogens • Increased survival • Alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture

  28. PHB accumulating bacteria

  29. SHIME-Tec • LabMET – Ghent University • Coupure Links 653 • B-9000 Gent • www.shimetec.com or .be • +32/9/264.59.76

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