TRITON Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 15

Dutton returned to her alma mater last fall after a five-year fellowship at Harvard University , during which she and colleagues applied new genetic sequencing techniques to reveal the bacteria and fungi behind more than 130 varieties of artisanal cheeses from 10 countries around the world .
Dutton ’ s innovative study on artisanal cheese not only was groundbreaking science published in the esteemed journal Cell , but also created a buzz in the food industry . It ’ s given her cred among cheese makers , famous chefs and food artisans who continually seek out her advice about the microbes responsible for the flavors and aromas of a wide variety of fermented foods , including cheese .
Her knowledge of microbial fermentation — as well as her own passion for good food — even led to an appearance on a recent episode of the Netflix documentary “ Cooked ,” based on the book by Michael Pollan . And it ’ s convinced many of her scientific colleagues that her unusual approach to studying microbial communities may not be such a cheesy idea after all .
BEHIND THE RIND Among the fungi studied by Rachel Dutton , ERC ' 02 , Penicillium camemberti makes up the white mold found on Brie and Camembert cheeses and produces mushroom-like flavors as it breaks down proteins .

BEER ME ( and my microbes )

Don ’ t just jump to a beer a day when there are plenty of other fermented foods to diversify your gut :
And if we haven ’ t ruined cheese for you , other favorite fermented foods , like beer , sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers , might also benefit the microbes in your gut .
rapid response system along the way — which could one day form the basis for new medical diagnostics and therapeutics .
With Pieter Dorrestein , Ph . D ., and Embriette Hyde , Ph . D ., Knight pioneered the method on craft
YOGURT
SAUERKRAUT
Our microbiomes are increasingly recognized for their roles in everything from asthma to obesity . But microbiome analysis can take months or even years —
brewers and other fermenters to see if people who regularly make and eat fermented foods share microbes in common with the foods they create .
COTTAGE CHEESE
MISO
too long for the information to be medically useful .
A team led by Rob Knight , Ph . D ., director of the UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation , was able to achieve microbiome
The result : Thanks to their likely greater consumption of fermented foods , fermenters were found to have above-average species diversity in their gut microbiomes , often associated with better health .
KOREAN KIMCHI
PICKLED CUCUMBERS
analysis in an unprecedented 48 hours , creating a first-of-its-kind
— HEATHER BUSCHMAN , PH . D . ’ 08
SOY SAUCE
BEER ( naturally fermented and unpasteurized )
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