microorganisms Article Unraveling the Microbiota of Natural Black cv. Kalamata Fermented Olives through 16S and ITS Metataxonomic Analysis Maria Kazou 1,*, Aikaterini Tzamourani 2, Efstathios Z. Panagou 2,* and Effie Tsakalidou 1 1 Laboratory of Dairy Research, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece;
[email protected] 2 Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (M.K.);
[email protected] (E.Z.P.); Tel.: +30-210-529-4628 (M.K.); +30-210-529-4693 (E.Z.P.) Received: 17 April 2020; Accepted: 4 May 2020; Published: 6 May 2020 Abstract: Kalamata natural black olives are one of the most economically important Greek varieties. The microbial ecology of table olives is highly influenced by the co-existence of bacteria and yeasts/fungi, as well as the physicochemical parameters throughout the fermentation. Therefore, the aim of this study was the identification of bacterial and yeast/fungal microbiota of both olives and brines obtained from 29 cv. Kalamata olive samples industrially fermented in the two main producing geographical regions of Greece, namely Aitoloakarnania and Messinia/Lakonia. The potential microbial biogeography association between certain taxa and geographical area was also assessed. The dominant bacterial family identified in olive and brine samples from both regions was Lactobacillaceae, presenting, however, higher average abundances in the samples from Aitoloakarnania compared to Messinia/Lakonia.