Metagenomic Investigation Uncovers Presence of Probiotic-Type Microbiome in Kalparasa (Fresh Unfermented Coconut Inflorescence Sap).

The phloem sap tapped from unopened inflorescence (spadix) of coconut palm using a novel collecting device, "coco-sap chiller," has been branded Kalparasa (henceforth as in the text) to distinguish its properties not found in sap harvested by traditional methods. To know its hitherto unidentified microbiome profile, we employed high-throughput sequencing to uncover the bacteriome and mycobiome in fresh and 12-h fermented samples. Fresh had a pH of 7.2, which dropped to 4.5 after 12 h, signifying fermentation of the sap. Diversity analysis indicated fresh having higher bacterial species than the fermented one. Contrary to this, fresh sap had lower fungal/yeast diversity than the fermented sample. Fresh had relatively higher abundance of probiotic-type genus followed by equal proportions of , , and . The 12-h fermented showed a significant increase in with a sharp decrease in . Mycobiome data revealed fresh to be preponderant in and genera of yeasts while the fermented sap had higher representation of and and lesser . This suggested that the fermentation of was probably driven by symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY), particularly acetic acid bacteria and non- yeasts. The bacteriome-function predictions highlighted the enrichment of glycerophospholipid, ABC transporters, purine, and pyrimidine metabolisms. Based on our findings, containing large population of , , , and can be promoted as a healthy "unfermented" plant edible food containing live probiotic-type microbiome during its consumption.