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.
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/
August 2021 Our paper on the development of a molecular diagnostic multiplex qPCR assay for detection of Mycoplasma species in milk as important causes of contagious mastitis in dairy cattle is now published in PeerJ. This article was made possible by a grant from the California Dairy Research Foundation and our amazing collaborators Drs. Aly and Lehenbauer in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
June 2021 Congratulations to Zach Bendiks for receiving the UC Davis 2021 Kinsella Memorial Prize. This award, established in honor of late Dean and Professor John E. Kinsella, is awarded to the best dissertation based on the quality and originality of the work, the multidisciplinary impact of the research, and the importance of the research to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) mission to serve agriculture, the environment, and human health and development.
June 2021 We are excited about our new publication on the diversity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum isolated from plants and plant foods. This paper gives insight into the ecological strategies of L. plantarum and how it as adapted to different plant types and fermented foods and was made possible by funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13871
February 2021 Check out our new publication on the microbiota in Cheddar cheese and research which led us to identify the microorganisms responsible for slit defects. This work was made possible by the California Dairy Research Foundation. 10.1128/mSystems.01114-20
January 2021 The ISAPP consensus paper on fermented foods is now published. The paper provides a new definition of fermented foods and beverages and provides guidance on the difference between probiotics and fermented foods. For more information - see Maria's blog and this summary.
November 2020 Maria's "Crystal Ball" article was published in Microbial Biotechnology. The article proposes that research defining the precise ways microorganisms benefit human health will be expanding rapidly in the near future. For more reading about this article, see here.
For more information on how to participate, see our website here: https://www.eatlac.org/
August 2021 Our paper on the development of a molecular diagnostic multiplex qPCR assay for detection of Mycoplasma species in milk as important causes of contagious mastitis in dairy cattle is now published in PeerJ. This article was made possible by a grant from the California Dairy Research Foundation and our amazing collaborators Drs. Aly and Lehenbauer in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
June 2021 Congratulations to Zach Bendiks for receiving the UC Davis 2021 Kinsella Memorial Prize. This award, established in honor of late Dean and Professor John E. Kinsella, is awarded to the best dissertation based on the quality and originality of the work, the multidisciplinary impact of the research, and the importance of the research to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) mission to serve agriculture, the environment, and human health and development.
June 2021 We are excited about our new publication on the diversity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum isolated from plants and plant foods. This paper gives insight into the ecological strategies of L. plantarum and how it as adapted to different plant types and fermented foods and was made possible by funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13871
February 2021 Check out our new publication on the microbiota in Cheddar cheese and research which led us to identify the microorganisms responsible for slit defects. This work was made possible by the California Dairy Research Foundation. 10.1128/mSystems.01114-20
January 2021 The ISAPP consensus paper on fermented foods is now published. The paper provides a new definition of fermented foods and beverages and provides guidance on the difference between probiotics and fermented foods. For more information - see Maria's blog and this summary.
November 2020 Maria's "Crystal Ball" article was published in Microbial Biotechnology. The article proposes that research defining the precise ways microorganisms benefit human health will be expanding rapidly in the near future. For more reading about this article, see here.
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WELCOMING Hsiao-Wen Huang:
Hsiao-Wen is a Ph.D. candidate at the National Taiwan University and is visiting our lab for one year with a fellowship from the Graduate Students Study Abroad Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. For her doctoral studies, Hsiao-Wen is investigating the use of probiotics for the prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). With vitro and animal model approaches, she identified bacterial strains which show promise for treating CKD via mechanisms which involve the modulation of the intestinal microbiome. Hsiao-Wen is currently collaborating with National Taiwan University Hospital and Veterinary Hospital to conduct a clinical trial with multi-omics analyses in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the intestinal microbiota and related metabolite changes which result in CKD treatment. We are excited to have Hsiao-Wen in our lab to perform in-depth research on host-microbe interactions for understanding the mechanistic basis of probiotic-conferred health benefits. |
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