Publikationer

Research | Forskning - peer review

New approaches to microbiology education are needed to ensure equitable representation in microbiology and to build literacy in microbiology and science broadly. To address this goal, we developed a course held at the collegiate level that uniquely integrated microbiology, Indigenous studies, scienc… New approaches to microbiology education are needed to ensure equitable representation in microbiology and to build literacy in microbiology and science broadly. To address this goal, we developed a course held at the collegiate level that uniquely integrated microbiology, Indigenous studies, science and technology studies, and arts and performance. The course participants included students in 12 majors across science, engineering, humanities, and arts. The different disciplines of the course intersected around Inuit fermented foods as the basis for discussions on fundamental microbiological principles, the scientific method, food sovereignty, and Indigenous peoples’ rights. A diverse array of activities was included, ranging from lectures in microbiology and fermentation, a sauerkraut-making lab, a walk through the Native American contemplative garden, a workshop on Inuit drum making and dance, as well as a performance by Inuit-soul group Pamyua. We propose that a radically interdisciplinary approach and a human rights framework in microbiology education can be a way to enhance microbiology and science literacy for a diverse group of students. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

‘Mushy halibut syndrome’ (MHS) affects the quality of Greenland halibut fillets. Fillets affected by MHS are jelly-like and turn mushy when cooked. Different severities of MHS occur in commercial catches, and cause food wastage and economic losses due to a lack of detection tools. In this study, we… ‘Mushy halibut syndrome’ (MHS) affects the quality of Greenland halibut fillets. Fillets affected by MHS are jelly-like and turn mushy when cooked. Different severities of MHS occur in commercial catches, and cause food wastage and economic losses due to a lack of detection tools. In this study, we combined sensory evaluation, microscopy and chemical analysis to characterize and grade MHS in Greenland halibut fillets, and assessed hyperspectral imaging (HSI) as a non-invasive detection method. Fillets (n = 100) were sampled and sorted into five categories based on assessment of MHS severity using a sensory MHS grading system. Twenty fillets were assigned to each category. Fillets underwent HSI analysis (n = 100), chemical analysis (n = 40) and microscopy (n = 25). Microscopy revealed myofiber degeneration progressing with MHS severity. Average dry matter and oil content for normal fillets were 26.6%, and 10.4%, respectively, compared to 14.6% and 2.0% for fillets severely affected by MHS. The sensory evaluations demonstrated good consensus on MHS criteria but highlighted the challenges of relying on limited manual detection. Two hyperspectral models were tested: one model estimated chemical composition of fillets, while the other predicted the fillet area affected by MHS. Both showed high accuracy for detecting and grading MHS. Future work should involve larger data sets and sensory panels, fewer MHS categories and commercially relevant threshold values for dry matter and oil content. Effective grading of MHS-products could contribute to optimized utilization, development of new side-streams and reduced wastage in the fisheries. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

The consumption of prey intestines and their content, known as gastrophagy, is well-documented among Arctic Indigenous peoples, particularly Inuit. In Greenland, Inuit consume intestines from various animals, including the ptarmigan, a small herbivorous grouse bird. While gastrophagy provides the po… The consumption of prey intestines and their content, known as gastrophagy, is well-documented among Arctic Indigenous peoples, particularly Inuit. In Greenland, Inuit consume intestines from various animals, including the ptarmigan, a small herbivorous grouse bird. While gastrophagy provides the potential to transfer a large number of intestinal microorganisms from prey to predator, including to the human gut, its microbial implications remain to be investigated. This study addresses this gap by investigating the microbial composition of the Greenlandic rock ptarmigan’s gastrointestinal tract by analyzing the crop, stomach, and intestines while also comparing it with the microbiota found in garum, a fermented sauce made from ptarmigan meat and intestines. Through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we assessed whether garum made from ptarmigan intestines provides access to microbial diversity otherwise only accessible through gastrophagy. Our findings reveal that garum made from ptarmigan intestines displayed distinct flavors and microbial composition similar to that found in the ptarmigan gut and intestines, highlighting the potential role of fermented products in mediating food microbial diversity associated with Indigenous food practices. Furthermore, our study underscores the broader importance of understanding microbial diversity in different food systems, particularly in the context of shifting dietary patterns and concerns about diminishing food microbial diversity. By elucidating the microbial richness gained through gastrophagy this research contributes to a deeper understanding of traditional and Indigenous foodways and their implications for human gut health. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Contaminants, such as heavy metals (HMs), accumulate in the Arctic environment and the food web. The diet of the Indigenous Peoples of North Greenland includes locally sourced foods that are central to their nutritional, cultural, and societal health but these foods also contain high concentrations… Contaminants, such as heavy metals (HMs), accumulate in the Arctic environment and the food web. The diet of the Indigenous Peoples of North Greenland includes locally sourced foods that are central to their nutritional, cultural, and societal health but these foods also contain high concentrations of heavy metals. While bacteria play an essential role in the metabolism of xenobiotics, there are limited studies on the impact of heavy metals on the human gut microbiome, and it is so far unknown if and how Arctic environmental contaminants impact the gut microbes of humans living in and off the Arctic environment. Using a multiomics approach including amplicon, metagenome, and metatranscriptome sequencing, we identified and assembled a near-complete (NC) genome of a mercury-resistant bacterial strain from the human gut microbiome, which expressed genes known to reduce mercury toxicity. At the overall ecological level studied through α- and β-diversity, there was no significant effect of heavy metals on the gut microbiota. Through the assembly of a high number of NC metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of human gut microbes, we observed an almost complete overlap between heavy metal-resistant strains and antibiotic-resistant strains in which resistance genes were all located on the same genetic elements. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), a self-governing country within the Danish Realm with a majority Indigenous population, has one of the most far-reaching self-determination arrangements of all Indigenous peoples worldwide. A close look at the food system in Kalaallit Nunaat, however, reveals a situatio… Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), a self-governing country within the Danish Realm with a majority Indigenous population, has one of the most far-reaching self-determination arrangements of all Indigenous peoples worldwide. A close look at the food system in Kalaallit Nunaat, however, reveals a situation in which Indigenous foods are marginalized and imported foods are promoted even when incompatible with the local context. Here, I ask why Danish foods are so prevalent in Kalaallit Nunaat and argue that an unacknowledged factor in dietary transitions, well-known to be the cause of major public health issues, is a biased view of foodways that favors imported foods and questions Indigenous foods. The conclusion is that there is a lack of Indigenous food sovereignty in Kalaallit Nunaat such that Indigenous views of food and health are not prioritized in the public food system. The significance of this conclusion is that without Indigenous food sovereignty, Indigenous health, wellbeing and thriving cannot be achieved. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

Reports on fermented, animal-sourced foods made by Inuit around the circumpolar North have lacked consideration for their unique microbiota and the geo-socio-cultural contexts in which they are made, often resulting in reinforced negative stereotypes. Deficit-based approaches to studying Inuit ferme… Reports on fermented, animal-sourced foods made by Inuit around the circumpolar North have lacked consideration for their unique microbiota and the geo-socio-cultural contexts in which they are made, often resulting in reinforced negative stereotypes. Deficit-based approaches to studying Inuit fermented foods overlook the fact that they have long been considered healthy and integral to Inuit diets. Inuit have deep knowledge on the harvesting, preparation, sharing, and consumption of fermented foods that research efforts must learn from and acknowledge. Our preliminary research into Inuit animal-sourced fermented foods expands current knowledge about the microorganisms needed to make them, and points to a potential to understand how these and other fermented foods impact the human gut microbiome. We provide recommendations for microbiological research on Inuit fermented foods that centers Inuit knowledge within the specific geographic, social, and cultural contexts in which these foods are made. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

The Inuit ancestors of the Greenlandic people arrived in Greenland close to 1,000 years ago.1 Since then, Eu- ropeans from many different countries have been present in Greenland. Consequently, the present-day Greenlandic population has $25% of its genetic ancestry from Europe.2 In this study, we in… The Inuit ancestors of the Greenlandic people arrived in Greenland close to 1,000 years ago.1 Since then, Eu- ropeans from many different countries have been present in Greenland. Consequently, the present-day Greenlandic population has $25% of its genetic ancestry from Europe.2 In this study, we investigated to what extent different European countries have contributed to this genetic ancestry. We combined dense SNP chip data from 3,972 Greenlanders and 8,275 Europeans from 14 countries and inferred the ancestry contribution from each of these 14 countries using haplotype-based methods. Due to the rapid increase in population size in Greenland over the past $100 years, we hypothesized that earlier European interactions, such as pre-colonial Dutch whalers and early German and Danish-Norwegian missionaries, as well as the later Danish colonists and post-colonial immigrants, all contributed European genetic ancestry. However, we found that the European ancestry is almost entirely Danish and that a substantial fraction is from admix- ture that took place within the last few generations. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

The lifestyle of Inuit in Greenland and worldwide is undergoing a transition from a fisher-hunter to a westernized society and meanwhile the prevalence of type-2 diabetes (T2D) has increased dramatically. Stud- ies have shown that a common nonsense p.Arg684Ter variant in TBC1D4, which is frequent in… The lifestyle of Inuit in Greenland and worldwide is undergoing a transition from a fisher-hunter to a westernized society and meanwhile the prevalence of type-2 diabetes (T2D) has increased dramatically. Stud- ies have shown that a common nonsense p.Arg684Ter variant in TBC1D4, which is frequent in Greenland, con- fers genetic susceptibility towards high risk of T2D. The aim of the study is to investigate whether a traditional marine diet, with high fat and low carbohydrate, will improve glycemic control in Greenland Inuit compared to a western diet. Moreover, we want to examine if the response is more pronounced in carriers of the p.Arg684Ter variant. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

The foods we eat contain microorganisms that we ingest alongside the food. Industrialized food systems offer great advantages from a safety point of view, but have also been accused of depleting the diversity of the human microbiota with negative implications for human health. In contrast, artisanal… The foods we eat contain microorganisms that we ingest alongside the food. Industrialized food systems offer great advantages from a safety point of view, but have also been accused of depleting the diversity of the human microbiota with negative implications for human health. In contrast, artisanal traditional foods are potential sources of a diverse food microbiota. Traditional foods of the Greenlandic Inuit are comprised of animal-sourced foods prepared in the natural environment and are often consumed raw. These foods, some of which are on the verge of extinction, have not previously been microbiologically character- ized. We mapped the microbiota of foods stemming from traditional Inuit land-based hunting activities. The foods included in the current study are dried muskox and caribou meat, cari- bou rumen and intestinal content as well as larval parasites from caribou hides, all traditional Inuit foods. This study shows that traditional drying methods are efficient for limiting micro- bial growth through desiccation. The results also show the rumen content of the caribou to be a highly diverse source of microbes with potential for degradation of plants. Finally, a number of parasites were shown to be included in the biodiversity of the assessed traditional foods. Taken together, the results map out a diverse source of ingested microbes and para- sites that originate from the natural environment. These results have implications for under- standing the nature-sourced traditional Inuit diet, which is in contrast to current day diet recommendations as well as modern industrialized food systems. Læs mere