IPICyT, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, A.C. Camino a la Presa San Jose No. 2055, Lomas 4a sección, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí 78216, Mexico.
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico.
Food Res Int. 2018 Jul;109:497-505. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.04.049. Epub 2018 Apr 24.
Edible insects, due to their high nutritive value, are currently considered as a potential renewable source for food and feed production. Liometopum apiculatum ants are widely distributed in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and their larvae (escamoles) are considered as a delicacy, however the microbial importance in L. apiculatum nutritional ecology is unknown. The aim of this research was to characterize the microorganisms associated with both L. apiculatum larvae and the reproductive adult ants using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and culturomics approaches. The obligate endosymbionts were also investigated through microscopic analysis. The most abundant Phylum identified by sequencing in the larvae was Firmicutes while in adult ants was Proteobacteria. Interestingly, the culturomics results showed 15 genera corresponding to the bacteria identified by sequencing analysis. Particularly, it was observed a large population of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which could be linked with the high protein content in escamoles. Endosymbionts were detected in bacteoriocytes, these bacteria are related with vitamins and essential amino acids biosynthesis, and both compounds contributing to the high nutritional value of escamoles. This is the first report of the microorganisms present in the escamolera ant ensuring their safety as food and opening new areas of nutritional ecological and food processing.
食用昆虫因其高营养价值而被认为是食物和饲料生产的潜在可再生资源。长柄蚁广泛分布于干旱和半干旱生态系统，其幼虫（escamoles）被视为美食，然而，其在 Liometopum apiculatum 营养生态学中的微生物重要性尚不清楚。本研究旨在使用 16S rRNA 基因测序和培养组学方法，对与 Liometopum apiculatum 幼虫和生殖成年蚂蚁相关的微生物进行表征。还通过显微镜分析研究了专性内共生体。通过测序鉴定的幼虫中最丰富的门是 Firmicutes，而成年蚂蚁中最丰富的门是 Proteobacteria。有趣的是，培养组学结果显示了 15 个与测序分析鉴定的细菌相对应的属。特别是，观察到了大量固氮菌，这可能与 escamoles 中的高蛋白含量有关。内共生体在细菌细胞中被检测到，这些细菌与维生素和必需氨基酸的生物合成有关，这两种化合物都有助于 escamoles 的高营养价值。这是第一个关于 escamolera 蚂蚁中存在的微生物的报告，这确保了它们作为食物的安全性，并开辟了营养生态和食品加工的新领域。
