Metagenomic Insights into the Microbiome and Resistance Genes of Traditional Fermented Foods in Arabia

This study uncovered microbial communities and evaluated the microbiological safety of traditional fermented foods consumed in the Arab region. Samples of dairy and non-dairy fermented foods—mish, jibneh, zabadi, and pickles—were collected from local markets in Saudi Arabia. Using the MiSeq system, samples were sequenced using 16S amplicons and shotgun metagenomics. Alpha and beta diversity indicated inter- and intra-variation in the studied fermented foods’ bacterial communities. In the case of mish, the replicates were clustered. Twenty-one genera were found to be significantly different (FDR < 0.05) in abundance in pairwise comparison of fermented foods. Five high-quality, metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus helveticus, Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens, Streptococcus thermophiles, and Lactobacillus acetotolerans were retrieved from the shotgun sequencing representing the dominant taxa in the studied fermented foods. Additionally, 33 genes that cause antimicrobial resistance (ARGs) against ten different antibiotic classes were detected. Metabolic pathways were abundant in the studied metagenomes, such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, cofactors, and vitamin biosynthesis. Metagenomic evaluation of Arabian fermented foods, including the identification of probiotics, pathogenic bacteria, and ARGs, illustrates the importance of microbiological analysis in evaluating their health effects.