A Chemically Informed Framework for Microbial Consortia Analysis Beyond Sequences: A Narrative Review

Authors: Sarojmoni Sonowal, Alakesh Barman, Arundhati Gogoi, Rupam Patgiri, Akshay Kumar Haloi, Kanak Das, Jitumani Rajbongshi

DOI: 10.18231/j.ijmr.12158.1758878575

Keywords: Microbial consortia, Analytical chemistry, Metagenomics, Metabolomics, Spectrometry, Environmental Monitoring, Agriculture

Abstract: Microbial consortia are complex communities of interacting microorganisms that play crucial roles in environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity, and animal host health. Traditional microbiological approaches have been limited in capturing the full scope of these interactions, particularly in complex or host-associated ecosystems. Recent advancements in analytical chemistry, including metagenomics, metabolomics, and mass spectrometry, now allow researchers to dissect these consortia at molecular, functional, and ecological levels. This review synthesizes current methodologies and applications of these technologies, emphasizing their synergistic use in profiling microbial diversity, uncovering metabolic pathways, and linking microbial activity to host and environmental outcomes. We explore how cross-disciplinary integration of analytical tools and computational biology has revolutionized microbial ecology, with case studies spanning soil and gut microbiomes to synthetic communities. Furthermore, we identify critical gaps in standardization, data interpretation, and reference coverage, and propose future directions involving multi-omics integration, AI-driven modeling, and expanded chemical profiling. This interdisciplinary perspective positions analytical chemistry at the forefront of microbial consortia research, enabling more predictive, functional, and applied insights into microbial ecosystems.