Biotransformation of Rutin in In Vitro Porcine Ileal and Colonic Fermentation Models.

Quercetin, a polyphenol antioxidant, is widely distributed in food in the form of glycoside rutin, which is not readily absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. The microbiota of the colon is known to biotransform rutin, generating quercetin aglycones that can be absorbed. We investigated the role of the ileal and colonic microbiota in rutin biotransformation using established in vitro fermentation models.

The Gut Microbiome Is Altered in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis and Osteopenia.

Osteoporosis and its precursor osteopenia are common metabolic bone diseases in postmenopausal women. A growing body of evidence suggests that the gut microbiota is involved in the regulation of bone metabolism; however, there are few studies examining how gut microbiomes in osteoporosis and osteopenia may differ from those in healthy individuals. The aim of this study was to characterize the diversity, composition, and functional gene potential of the gut microbiota of healthy, osteopenic, and osteoporotic women.

Feeding Bugs to Bugs: Edible Insects Modify the Human Gut Microbiome in an Fermentation Model.

We here report a study characterizing the potential for edible insects to act as a prebiotic by altering the bacterial composition of the human fecal microbiome, using batch cultures inoculated with fecal adult human donors. Black field cricket nymphs, grass grub larvae, and wax moth larvae were subjected to an digestion to simulate the oral, gastric, and small intestinal stages of digestion. The digested material was then dialyzed to remove small molecules such as amino acids and free sugars to simulate removal of nutrients through upper gastrointestinal tract digestion.