When microbiomes are diverse and balanced they play a vital role in keeping our food safe nutritious and sustainable while also supporting planetary health. But these microbial networks are under threat, as shown by the rise in antimicrobial resistance crop failures reduced microbial diversity in soil water and the human gut and more frequent food spoilage.

Microbes influence everything from why strawberries rot and how farmed salmon get sick to why locally sourced minimally processed and probiotic-rich foods benefit our health explains lead author Dr. Paula Fernández-Gómez of Teagasc Food Research Centre and APC Microbiome Ireland. The health of microbes reflects the health of people and the planet evident in declining food quality availability and rising disease rates in plants and animals.

A new map illustrates how a coordinated approach involving consumers industry regulators educators and scientists can help restore and protect vital microbial networks boosting the sustainability and resilience of global food systems. Consumers can choose fresh local minimally processed foods and support microbe-friendly policies industry can scale microbiome-based innovations across agriculture and aquaculture regulators can develop evidence-based frameworks; educators can raise awareness and build public trust and scientists can deepen understanding of microbiome functions using advanced omics. Our study reveals how microbial communities are interconnected across the food chain insights made possible through cutting-edge omics says Prof. Cotter.

A new map of microbiomes vast networks of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their interactions reveals the hidden links between food, the human body, and the planet. Drawing on over 250 omics studies across horticulture, silviculture, livestock farming, aquaculture, food processing, distribution, storage, retail, and human consumption, the research captures the full microbial system along the food chain. The authors highlight several microbiome-based strategies to enhance food production, such as using microbes to protect crops from stress and disease, planting clover to enrich soil nitrogen employing bacteria to improve animal feed quality adding probiotics to boost animal health, and applying microbial cultures to extend food shelf life and reduce waste.

Climate change and human activities such as the overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, and fertilizers are disrupting microbiome dynamics, leading to crop failure, food spoilage, the spread of antimicrobial resistance and chronic diseases across humans, animals, and plants. Excessive fertilizer use, for instance, alters nutrient levels in aquatic ecosystems, disrupting microbial balances and triggering oxygen-depleting algal blooms that kill fish. Similarly, antibiotic use in aquaculture contributes to rising AMR in the environment, compounded by other pollutants like pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Understanding the specific functions of microbiome components remains a challenge, but culture-based methods, paired with omics, synthetic biology, high-throughput screening, and targeted experiments, are essential for identifying causal relationships and translating findings into practical innovations.

Source: https://www.ucc.ie/en/apc/news/apc-news/microbial-map-reveals-countless-hidden-connections-between-our-food-health-and-planet.html