A Ukrainian kombucha microbial community variant, KMC-IMBG1, profiled by culture-dependent isolation and 16S/ITS metabarcoding across sweetened black-tea and honey/cabbage-brine microenvironments. The core community contains cellulose-forming acetobacteria, especially Komagataeibacter and Gluconobacter, together with dominant yeasts such as Pichia and Brettanomyces/Dekkera; growth conditions alter the accessory community and yeast composition.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Komagataeibacter | NCBITaxon:1434011 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
|
DOMINANT |
|
|||
| Gluconobacter | NCBITaxon:441 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
|
ABUNDANT |
|
|||
| Pichia | NCBITaxon:4919 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SECONDARY_FERMENTER
|
DOMINANT |
|
|||
| Brettanomyces | NCBITaxon:13366 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
SECONDARY_FERMENTER
|
DOMINANT |
|
|||
Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Proposed Yeast-Acetobacter Metabolic Cooperation
HYPOTHESIZED - the source describes bacteria-yeast metabolic cooperation as the general KMC model. KMC-IMBG1 cultures contain acetobacteria and yeasts, but this composition/microscopy study does not selectively demonstrate exchanged metabolites or reciprocal growth benefits. The four named core genera represent a larger, condition-dependent assemblage, not an exhaustive identical membership in every culture.
Participating Taxa: Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter, Pichia, Brettanomyces
Biological Processes:
- fermentation (GO:0006113 · PathwayMech)
- biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:26061774 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"mutualistic metabolic cooperation of pro- and eukaryotic microorganisms"
Cellulose Pellicle Community Structuring
Cellulose-producing bacteria form the surface pellicle, and microscopy reports mixed bacterial and yeast morphotypes associated with its cellulose web. This preserves physical community structuring. PARTIAL - the proposed facilitation of biochemical cooperation is distinct from observed association and was not selectively tested by disrupting the pellicle.
Participating Taxa: Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter, Pichia, Brettanomyces
Biological Processes:
- biofilm formation (GO:0042710 · PathwayMech)
HYPOTHESIZED - pellicle enclosure could facilitate bacteria-yeast biochemical cooperation through spatial association, as explicitly proposed in the source Introduction. Microscopy supports association, not a selective test that pellicle formation mediates reciprocal benefit.
Evidence
-
doi:10.1186/s13568-015-0124-5 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"cellulose-based pellicles created by the cellulose-producing bacteria"
-
PMID:26061774 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"Close biochemical interplay between yeasts and bacteria was facilitated by enclosing the mixed community within cellulose-based pellicles"
Growth-Condition Dependent Community Composition
Culture and 16S/ITS profiles change across sterile or nonsterile sweetened tea, honey tea and the cabbage-brine hybrid, with relatively stable acetobacterial membership and more variable yeast composition. Lactobacilli likely introduced with cabbage brine persisted through passages. PARTIAL - active recruitment and added fermentative capacity remain proposed; relative sequence profiles do not establish absolute growth, niche partitioning or reciprocal benefit.
Participating Taxa: Komagataeibacter, Gluconobacter, Pichia, Brettanomyces
Biological Processes:
- biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms (GO:0044419 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
-
PMID:26061774 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"The community composition was dependent on the growth conditions"
-
PMID:26061774 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"bacterial core component in nsBTS remained the same"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
|
KMC-IMBG1 metabarcoding and isolate sequence data
Article reports 16S rDNA and ITS metabarcoding of KMC-IMBG1 pellicles and liquids across multiple growth microenvironments, plus GenBank accessions for isolate 16S rDNA sequences. |
AMPLICON_16S | OTHER | KF908872-KF908879 |
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which exchanges and benefits are mediated by the KMC pellicle or accessory members?
Retain the source-explicit pellicle-to-cooperation model as HYPOTHESIZED, with physical association distinct from selective mediation. Remove the accessory-composition-to-mutualism arrow: possible fermentation capacity does not establish reciprocal benefit among the canonical core genera. Positive pellicle formation, composition changes and persistence of probable cabbage-derived lactobacilli remain represented. Read the full primary main text and main/supplement captions, not original figure pixels, Table 1 numerical cells, supplementary PDF or raw sequences. Strain-resolved transfer and selective pellicle/accessory perturbations remain open questions. Canonical membership is preserved as a partial core representation; separate non-graph cultivation/ingredient claims remain unresolved under #1543.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Proposed Yeast-Acetobacter Metabolic Cooperation, ecological_interactions#Cellulose Pellicle Community Structuring, ecological_interactions#Growth-Condition Dependent Community Composition
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| sweetened black tea substrate | black tea extract with sucrose | N/A |
|
||
| cultivation without shaking | 14 days at 28 C without shaking | N/A |
|
||
Growth Media
Cross-Mech Suite Links
Explore related entities across the CultureBotAI X-Mech knowledge bases: