Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET)

Research topics and expertise

Head : Prof. Dr. ir. Willy Verstraete

Mission

Microbial Ecology

Strategic research

Applied research

Technology

General overview

Strategic research Applied research Tools and instruments

Focus on SHIME-Tec

Strategic Research

Microbial communities Quorum sensing Electron shuttling Horizontal gene transfer Metabolomics

Applied Research

Environmental Microbiology Wastewater

Microbial fuel cells Biodegradation Anaerobic treatment Nitrogen removal strategies Minimizing wast sludge

Applied Research

Environmental Microbiology Soil / Sediments

Bioprecipitation of catalytic particles Anaerobic removal of organochlorine

contaminants Soil and river sludge clean-up Pesticide degradation and ecotoxicology

Applied Research Environmental Microbiology

Solid Wastes Solid waste treatment De-icing

Buildings and structures Biologically mediated CaCO3 formation Microbial induced corrosion

Air Indoor air pollution Biotrickling filtration

Applied Research

Gastro-intestinal Microbiology Functional foods

Pro- / pre- / synbiotics Bioactivation of food components Rumen microbiology

Risk assessment Environmental contaminants Toxic food processing metabolites

Phage therapy

Applied Research

Foodchain Microbiology Drinking water

Hygienisation Water recycling Pathogen abatement

Aquaculture systems Habitat research

Epiphytes on grain Space station life cycles Deep sea methane oxidation

Tools and instruments

Reactor Technology Simulator of the Human Intestinal

Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) Activated sludge systems Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed reactors Microbial Fuel cells Membrane reactors Rotating disc reactors Dialysis reactors

Tools and instruments

Molecular Analysis PCR DGGE FISH Realtime PCR Cloning Flow Cytometry

Tools and instruments

Microbial analysis Epifluorescence and light microscopy Growth kinetics Microbial isolations and enrichments Metabolic activity Bioassays Biodegradation assays

Tools and instruments

Physico – chemical analysis Gas chromatography HPLC Ion chromatography Spectrophotometry Atom absorption BOD, COD, TSS, VSS, NOX, TOC,…

Contact information

LabMET – Ghent UniversityCoupure Links 653B-9000 Gent

http://labMET.ugent.be/

+32/9/264.59.76

The LabMET group

SHIME-Tec

SHIME-Tec

SHIME-Tec

Microbial conversion of phytoestrogens Soy phytoestrogens:

Daidzine daidzein equol (microbial action)

Equol has beneficial health effects Microbial consortium applicable as

probiotic

Hop phytoestrogens: Isoxanthohumol hoppein (8-

prenylnaringenin or 8-PN) Carried out by colon microbiota Importance for hop supplements,

beer industry…

Equol production

days incubation

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

equ

ol

(µm

ol/

L)

0

20

40

60

80

100

0% consortium1% consortium50% consortium75% consortium100% consortium

8-PN production

0,000

0,005

0,010

0,015

0,020

0,025

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Time (days)

Co

nc

en

tra

tio

n (

g/L

)

R3 IX

R3 8-PN

R4 IX

R4 8-PN

R5 IX

R5 8-PN

Colon microbiota activate PAHsPAHs are not estrogenic: colon microbiota biotransform

them to estrogenic metabolites

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

naphthalene phenanthrene pyrene benzo(a)pyrene

nM

EE

2 e

qu

iva

len

ce

Stomach Small intestine Colon Inactivated colon

Chemopreventive effect from inulin

Gut microbiotaBeneficial conversion

Short chain fatty acids

Phytoestrogen

Bactericidal compounds

Detrimental conversion

Putrefactive compounds

Toxins

Promutagen mutagen

(PAH estrogenic metabolite)

Inulin exerts prebiotic effects

Promotes beneficial conversion

New finding: inulin inhibits conversion of promutagen to mutagen

Chemopreventive effects: added-value property of prebiotics

Decrease of cholesterol levels in blood Lactobacillus reuteri Bile salt hydrolase activity Reduction of cholesterol levels In vitro:

experiments with SHIME indicate survival of probiotic strain under in vitro conditions (stomach, small intestine, colon

In vivo: Pigs fed with L. reuteri for 4 weeks showed

significantly lower cholesterol levels De Smet et al. 1998. British Journal of Nutrition, 79:

185-194

Bioactive peptidesAim: are bioactive peptides transported ?

Blood pressure lowering / ACE-inhibitory peptides

ala-leu-pro-met-his-ile-arg (837 g/mol)

Bradykinin inactive fragments

ACE

Ang I Ang II

Blood pressure rises

Blood pressure drops

Bioactive peptides

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

peptide (1 mM) peptide 3x (1 mM)

Ac

tivi

teit

(%

)

mucosaal

serosaal

PHB accumulating bacteria Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) Microbial consortium which stores PHB Add consortium as prebiotic to artemia PHB hydroxybutyrate butyrate Protection of artemia against pathogens Increased survival

Alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture

PHB accumulating bacteria

Artemia survival under different treatments

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

ArtemiawithoutVibrio

Artemia withVibrio

Artemia withPHB

Artemia withVibrio and

PHB

Artemia withVibrio and

OH-butyrate

Artemia withVibrio andbutyrate

% s

urv

iva

l

SHIME-Tec

LabMET – Ghent University Coupure Links 653 B-9000 Gent

www.shimetec.com or .be

+32/9/264.59.76