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Interactions between Food Chemistry and Gut Microbiota

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 8020

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: food microbiology fermented foods; fermented dairy products; microbial diversity analysis; lactic acid bacteria; probiotics; polysaccharides; structural-functional relationship
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, China
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; food function; fermentation; quorum sensing; metabolomics; food omics; gut microbiota
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: food nutrition; protein digestion; gut microbiota; intestinal endocrine cells; Maillard reaction; proteomics; meat processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The gut microbiota contains tens of trillions of microbial cells, and its collective genome is predicted to be 100-fold greater than that of the human host. Recently, the significance of the relationship between the gut microbiota and host inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disease has been demonstrated. At birth, the human gut is sterile. The sterile infant gut is colonized by microbes acquired during and after birth. Food is the primary source of energy for gut microbes, and changes in host dietary patterns can result in rapid changes in the structure of the microbiota population. Each human’s gut microbiota is continuously shaped by their diet. The gut microbiota transforms dietary compounds into different bioactive metabolites in vivo and, in turn, food bioactive compounds have the potential ability to modulate the gut microbiota and offer benefits to the host. Furthermore, the impact of diet on the gut microbiota composition and function varies according to the type, quality, and origin of foods consumed. As a key modulator of gut microbiota composition, an optimal diet can encourage a healthy microbiota composition and help maintain the host gut barrier and immune functions. It is, for this reason, that understanding the relationship between food and the gut microbiota is vital, as well as its role in the host of metabolites derived from the microbial biotransformation of these food components.

Currently, a large number of research works are focusing on the influence of the content, structure, and bioavailability of foods on the gut microbiota as a mediator of the host's metabolism, as well as on the methodologies that can be employed to explore the gut microbial pathways of metabolism. However, our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms that link specific variations in the composition and function of the gut microbiota with food is still limited. This Special Issue is devoted to “Interactions Between Food Chemistry and Gut Microbiota”. It will cover a selection of current research topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • The identification of specific microorganisms and enzymes involved in the modulation of gut microflora alteration and metabolic processes, particularly those associated with the metabolism of dietary components and some host-generated substances.
  • The digestion, bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and transformation of bioactive compounds of the food matrix that affect the composition and function of the gut microbiota associated with host health and disease.
  • Novel methodologies to explore the interactions between the gut microbiota, diet, and host.
  • The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of the gut microbiota in food tolerance and allergies.
  • The development of functional food with beneficial impacts on gut health and the overall well-being of the host;
  • Emerging technologies for food processing to improve its nutritional and bioactive compounds that have beneficial effects on the gut microbiota and metabolic syndrome.

Prof. Dr. Wei Li
Dr. Qiuqin Zhang
Dr. Di Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • food components
  • food chemistry
  • food omics
  • functional foods
  • metabolites
  • digestion
  • allergy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2077 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Biotransformation of Opuntia Ficus Fruit: The Effect of In Vitro and Ex Vivo Gut Microbiota Metabolism
by Ibrahim E. Sallam, Ulrike Rolle-Kampczyk, Stephanie Serena Schäpe, Soumaya S. Zaghloul, Riham S. El-Dine, Ping Shao, Martin von Bergen and Mohamed A. Farag
Molecules 2022, 27(21), 7568; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27217568 - 4 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2407
Abstract
Opuntia ficus-indica biological effects are attributed to several bioactive metabolites. However, these actions could be altered in vivo by biotransformation reactions mainly via gut microbiota. This study assessed gut microbiota effect on the biotransformation of O. ficus-indica metabolites both in vitro and ex [...] Read more.
Opuntia ficus-indica biological effects are attributed to several bioactive metabolites. However, these actions could be altered in vivo by biotransformation reactions mainly via gut microbiota. This study assessed gut microbiota effect on the biotransformation of O. ficus-indica metabolites both in vitro and ex vivo. Two-time aliquots (0.5 and 24 h) from the in vitro assay were harvested post incubation of O. ficus-indica methanol extract with microbial consortium, while untreated and treated samples with fecal bacterial culture from the ex vivo assay were prepared. Metabolites were analyzed using UHPLC-QTOF-MS, with flavonoid glycosides completely hydrolyzed in vitro at 24 h being converted to two major metabolites, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid and phloroglucinol, concurrent with an increase in the gallic acid level. In case of the ex vivo assay, detected flavonoid glycosides in untreated sample were completely absent from treated counterpart with few flavonoid aglycones and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid in parallel to an increase in piscidic acid. In both assays, fatty and organic acids were completely hydrolyzed being used as energy units for bacterial growth. Chemometric tools were employed revealing malic and (iso)citric acids as the main discriminating metabolites in vitro showing an increased abundance at 0.5 h, whereas in ex vivo assay, (iso)citric, aconitic and mesaconic acids showed an increase at untreated sample. Piscidic acid was a significant marker for the ex vivo treated sample. DPPH, ORAC and FRAP assays were further employed to determine whether these changes could be associated with changes in antioxidant activity, and all assays showed a decline in antioxidant potential post biotransformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions between Food Chemistry and Gut Microbiota)
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Review

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16 pages, 6394 KiB  
Review
The Intervention of Prebiotics on Depression via the Gut–Brain Axis
by Qinghui He, Congcong Si, Zhenjiao Sun, Yuhui Chen and Xin Zhang
Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3671; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27123671 - 7 Jun 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4988
Abstract
The imbalance of intestinal microbiota can cause the accumulation of endotoxin in the main circulation system of the human body, which has a great impact on human health. Increased work and life pressure have led to a rise in the number of people [...] Read more.
The imbalance of intestinal microbiota can cause the accumulation of endotoxin in the main circulation system of the human body, which has a great impact on human health. Increased work and life pressure have led to a rise in the number of people falling into depression, which has also reduced their quality of life. The gut–brain axis (GBA) is closely related to the pathological basis of depression, and intestinal microbiota can improve depressive symptoms through GBA. Previous studies have proven that prebiotics can modulate intestinal microbiota and thus participate in human health regulation. We reviewed the regulatory mechanism of intestinal microbiota on depression through GBA, and discussed the effects of prebiotics, including plant polysaccharides and polyphenols on the regulation of intestinal microbiota, providing new clues for the prevention and treatment of depression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interactions between Food Chemistry and Gut Microbiota)
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