2025-09-12 コペンハーゲン大学(UCPH)
The two bottles of white powder, which researchers from the University of Copenhagen found by chance in a dusty moving box last year
<関連情報>
- https://news.ku.dk/all_news/2025/09/stored-for-130-years-bottles-reveal-evidence-of-danish-butter-production-and-hygiene-practices-of-the-past/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958694625000779
130年前のデンマーク製スターター培養材料のメタゲノム解析:Lactococcus cremorisスターターのゲノム配列解析を含む Metagenomic analysis of 130 years old Danish starter culture material including sequence analysis of the genome of a Lactococcus cremoris starter
Pablo Atienza López, Taya Tang, Bashir Aideh, Nilay Büdeyri Gökgöz, Nathalia Brichet, Dennis Sandris Nielsen, Jørgen J. Leisner, Lukasz Krych
International Dairy Journal Available online: 2 April 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2025.106258
Highlights
- Rediscovery of 1890s Danish butter starter cultures reveals historical dairy practices.
- Metataxonomic profiling of degraded DNA via Nanopore sequencing analyzed microbiomes.
- Lactococcus cremoris genome shows dairy adaptation genes linked to flavour production.
- Contamination with Cutibacterium acnes highlights 19th-century production challenges.
- Conserved lactococcin genes suggest long-term stability in dairy culture traits.
Abstract
Two unopened Danish dairy starter culture bottles from the 1890s were analyzed to investigate their microbiome and genetic characteristics, offering insights into historical dairy production. Using culture-independent methods, DNA was extracted and sequenced via Nanopore-based Barcode-Amplified Random Sequencing. Metataxonomic profiling revealed contamination with Cutibacterium acnes, while the 1893 sample showed significant Lactococcus cremoris DNA (76.7 % genome coverage), compared to minimal coverage (<1 %) in the 1899 sample. Bioinformatic analysis identified functional genes in L. cremoris associated with dairy adaptation, including casein degradation, lactose metabolism, and acetoin/diacetyl production, which contribute to buttery flavors. These findings are of interest, considering mild flavor profile preferred in Danish butter for the English market during the 19th century. Additionally, a conserved lactococcin gene (lcn) was detected in both the 1893 sample and a modern isolate of L. Cremoris, suggesting its persistence over time. This study sheds light on the microbiome and functional properties of historical starter cultures.
