Marcolab
  • Home
  • Research
  • People
  • Publications
  • Photos
  • Contact
  • About Maria
  • Lab alumni
  • News archive
  • Vacancies

​

Picture
The Marco lab is located in The Department of Food Science & Technology at The University of California, Davis
Research in the Marco lab examines the roles of microorganisms in determining food safety, food quality, and gut health. A common thread to our research is the investigation of the ecology and host-microbe interactions of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in food systems and the mammalian digestive tract. The broad objective of our studies is to identify the attributes of microorganisms that can be used to guide improvements in food production to benefit human health.

LAB NEWS

We need your help to study the microbiome of homemade fermented fruits and vegetables!
For more information on how to participate, see our website here:
 https://www.eatlac.org/

March 2022  Congratulations to Dr. Eric Stevens on the completion of his dissertation research! Eric's studies have shed new light on extracellular electron transfer metabolism performed by lactic acid bacteria in food fermentations.

February 2022 Eric Stevens' dissertation research has led to exciting new findings on the metabolism of lactic acid bacteria. Through his research and together with our collaborators at Rice University, we discovered how L. plantarum uses extracellular electron transfer to improve growth and acidify its environment. Read more about our findings here at eLife and the 
UC Davis press release.

February 2022  Congratulations to Zach Bendiks on his Journal of Functional Foods paper investigating how the gut microbiome changes in response to different dietary fibers. Resistant starch is highly selective and increases expression of stress-response genes corresponding with reductions in intestinal pH. 

January 2022 Our perspective article on Inuit fermented foods is published in the new journal Microbiome Research Reports. This article provides guidance on how to approach microbiological research questions on Inuit fermented foods so that it centers Inuit knowledge within the specific geographic, social, and cultural contexts in which these foods are made. 
Ruchita Uttarwar
Ruchita recently joined the Marco Lab and is part of the Animal Biology Graduate Group. She is currently working on a project designed to understand how probiotics can prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Ruchita is also a veterinarian from India. She completed her DVM in 2017 where she treated more than 1000 animals including, cats, dogs, cattle, buffalo, horses, snakes, etc. She also completed her masters from the University of Arkansas and her thesis was based on a gut microbiome and metatranscriptomics analysis of chickens and swine. In her free time, Ruchita loves to do Bollywood dancing, singing, and hiking.
Picture

Proudly powered by Weebly