A recently published study by Kleiner Lab members Alexandria Bartlett and J. Alfredo Blakeley-Ruiz, reveals that casein—a common protein used in defined diets for microbiome research—not only carries microbial DNA but also contains unique microbial proteins that can skew metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses. In contrast, other purified protein sources did not show such contamination. These findings underscore the importance of critically evaluating dietary components, as microbial contaminants in casein-based diets may confound interpretations in diet-microbiota studies.
This was in collaboration with Dr. Tanner Richie and Dr. Casey M. Theriot.
Read the paper and more here.