Microwave, an extreme environment that is common across households, has been found to harbour a specialised, highly adapted community of microbes, according to a study.

Microbes are organisms not visible to the naked eye and include bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Researchers, including those from the University of Valencia, Spain, said that seeing how these microbes are adapted to survive extreme environments, if the strains found inside microwaves could be used in industrial processes, it could inspire a range of biotechnological applications.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, said the findings are also important from a hygiene perspective and recommended regular disinfection of microwaves.

To understand if microbes inside microwaves are affected by food interactions and user habits, the researchers analysed samples of microbes taken from 30 microwaves -- 10 each from household kitchens, shared domestic spaces and biological labs.

Their methods of analysis included genome sequencing.

"Our results reveal that domestic microwaves have a more 'anthropised' microbiome, similar to kitchen surfaces, while laboratory microwaves harbour bacteria that are more resistant to radiation," said author Daniel Torrent, a researcher at the start-up Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence SL, Spain.

Anthropisation refers to how human action transforms open spaces, landscapes and natural environments, including changes in land cover.

The authors also found that the microbes community was the least diverse in household microwaves and the most diverse in lab ones.

The team also compared the microbial diversity that they observed with that in specialised habitats reported in previous studies. They found that the microbiome in microwaves resembled that found on typical kitchen surfaces.

Overall, the researchers found 25 types of bacteria, of which there were a total of 747 different strains. The most often seen type included the Proteobacteria, known to be involved in healthy gut function in humans.

"Some (strains) found in domestic microwaves, such as Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Aeromonas, may pose a risk to human health. However, it is important to note that the microbial population found in microwaves does not present a unique or increased risk compared to other common kitchen surfaces," Torrent said.

Since the industrial revolution, microbes have made their presence across habitats, including the interior of the International Space Station.

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