Scientists and chefs have partnered to explore how fermented foods can serve as a tool for participatory science, aiming to engage the public while contributing to microbiology research. The study examined microbial communities found in kombucha, kimchi, and chow chow by involving food experts and members of the public.
“One of the things we demonstrated here is that this approach works, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it is easy to scale,” said Erin McKenney, co-lead author of the paper and assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. “This proof-of-concept study focused on questions that have been answered using conventional approaches, allowing us to determine that the findings from our approach are consistent with established findings,” McKenney continued. “But now that we have that proof of concept, we can begin using this technique to address additional questions.”
Researchers organized three participatory workshops at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences where scientists and chefs taught K-12 teachers and community members how to prepare various fermented foods. Each workshop centered on either kimchi, chow chow, or kombucha. Participants contributed between 18 and 23 samples for each food type.
Samples were collected at different fermentation stages: days 3 and 10 for chow chow and kimchi; days 4 and 8 for kombucha. DNA sequencing was used to analyze both diversity and abundance of microbes present in each sample.
“The findings were interesting,” said Hanna Berman, co-lead author of the paper and postdoctoral researcher at NC State. “For example, we found kimchi made with cabbage fosters very different microbial communities compared to kimchi made with daikon radishes. In kombucha, on the other hand, there were no microbial species associated specifically with green tea versus black tea – which come from the same species of plant but are processed differently.
“These findings are in line with previous studies, and it was exciting to see that we were able to answer scientific questions accurately using methods that are also effective at engaging the public,” Berman added.
Christina Roche, another co-lead author from both NC State and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences emphasized outreach goals: “The whole concept of helping people understand the diversity of microbes and microbial ecosystems is important,” Roche said. “It’s also important to help people understand the beneficial roles that microbes play in our food systems. And we think there is very real value in scientists and chefs coming together to give people tools that can help them explore those ideas on their own and, as an added bonus, produce delicious food.”
McKenney noted broader implications: “Developing techniques that both advance our scientific understanding of the world and engage the public in scientific endeavors is critical to the mission of both science museums and land-grant universities,” she said. “That makes this work particularly rewarding for everyone involved in this project.”
Roche pointed out practical resources shared through their research: “We included the recipes that were used for the study in the paper, so if anyone wants to try their hand at making chow chow, kombucha or kimchi, that could serve as a good starting point.”
The research paper titled “Cooking-Class Style Fermentation as a Context for Co-created Science and Engagement” was published open access in Microbiology Spectrum on August 15 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02660-24). Rob Dunn served as corresponding author; contributors included researchers from North Carolina State University along with collaborators from Southern Peak Brewery, Piedmont Picnic Project, Duke University, University of West Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—and support came from a National Science Foundation grant.
