Reacción a "Metagenome sequencing of bacteria, fungi, and yeasts present in more than 2,500 foods"

This study is the largest effort to date to characterise food microbiologically, especially fermented foods. Without a doubt, the database constructed (curatedFoodMetagenomicData, cFMD) is a true atlas for any microbiologist and, therefore, a starting point for future research in the field of food biotechnology.

At the same time, it highlights the dimension of the so-called microbial dark matter that still exists today in the world of microbiology in general and food microbiology in particular, with direct consequences on aspects as important and immediate as food safety.

Moreover, the link between food microbiology and the human microbiota established by the authors not only confirms the popular saying that ‘we are what we eat’ but also reaffirms the foundations on which to build quality probiotic foods containing microorganisms with a proven ability to colonise the digestive tract and have a positive effect on intestinal health.

Finally, I would like to emphasise, as the authors rightly do, the importance of yeasts as an essential part of the human microbiota. Yeasts that are omnipresent in our diet (beer, cheese, wine...) but are often ignored in studies on gut health and microbiota.