food-related metabolome and gut microbiota
TRANSCRIPT
www.vtt.fi
Food-related metabolome and gut microbiota
Food structure and composition
are crucial factors influencing di-
gestion. Food components are
released from food matrix and
the digestible part of the com-
ponents is absorbed. Components, which
structurally resist the absorption, retain in
the food matrix and are subjected to colonic
metabolism.
Colonic microbiota degrades the matrix
and converts released components to differ-
ent metabolites, the role of which is receiving
increasing interest due to their long residence
time in the body. What is the role of food ma-
trix in this process? What is the role of the
gut microbiota in this process? Are there un-
known metabolites? We offer a solution ad-
dressing these questions for the pre-clinical
phase.
Food is digested in the upper intestine,
where nutrients (glucose, amino acids, lipids)
and phenolic components are released and
absorbed. Absorbed phenolic components
are metabolised further in the liver. A part of
these compounds is returned to the intestinal
VTT offers services for companies, when there is an interest in knowing how the products behave in the digestive tract. These services include identification of the food-specific metabolome by using a colon model and connecting this data to corresponding characterization of plasma and urine, and furthermore an assessment of diet-related compositional changes in colonic microbiota from human interventions.
lumen. This circulation is called “enterohepat-
ic circulation”. However, an indigestible part is
delivered to the colon, which contains about
1.5 kg of microbes taking actively part in the
degradation of the indigestible intake.
Modelling colonic activitiesVTT has developed an in vitro colon model
to mimic these degradation and conversion
processes. A good correlation has been
found for phenolic microbial metabolites
between the in vitro colon model and in vi-
vo metabolite profiles from human body flu-
ids, plasma and urine. After conversion mi-
crobial metabolites are also absorbed and
undergo the same enterohepatic circulation,
which causes a long residence time in plas-
ma; e.g. up to 35 hours after intake of phe-
nolic compounds.
VTT’s in vitro modelsVTT has created two in vitro models - an en-
zymatic digestion model and a batch colon
model coupled with different analytical tools
- to address these challenges.
Business from technology
Enzymatic digestion model can be used
for release of nutritional components and for
removal of components to produce a non-
digestible residue for the colon model. VTT’s
in vitro colon model is a strictly anaerobic in-
cubation with a suspension of fresh human
faeces. Metabolites are profiled and quanti-
fied by targeted analysis of microbial metab-
olites or by large scale profiling tools using a
metabolomic platform. Thus we can study
the time course of microbial activity.
Besides the in vitro models, we also have
the tools to quantify and study the diversi-
ty and temporal stability of the major bacte-
rial groups of the human gut microbiota. All
these tools together enable the assessment
of subtle differences between food products
i.e. the effect of food processing and between
metabolomes in the model as compared to
those in human body fluids (plasma and urine)
(in vitro-in vivo correlation). The fecal bacte-
rial profiles may also be utilised for the in vitro
– in vivo correlation. If the models are used
as a pre-clinical tool, potential biomarkers of a
healthy diet can be revealed.
Additional information
In vitro digestion models
Dr. Anna-Marja Aura
Tel. +358 40 820 8731
VTT’s tools to study how food behaves in a model
Release of bioactive components from •
food matrix
• Comparison of dietary compounds as
precursors of microbial metabolites
• Effect of food structure on metabolite
formation
Pre-clinical screening of processed •
food
• Comparison of the microbial
metabolite profiles with those from
body fluids of man: in vitro-in vivo
correlation
Benefits of VTT’s in vitro colon model
Simple and flexible •
Each experiment include a hypothesis •
with a tailor-made approach
Time course of metabolite formation: •
conversion rate and extent
Initially the same microbiota for all the •
substrates within the experiment
Small standard deviations within •
experiment
Repeatability of the responses between •
different experiments
Potential applicationsDietary fibre/whole grain processing•Release of dietary components from •food matrix (sterols, phenolics, glucose)Conversion of released components •by colonic microbiota
Benefits of the gut microbiota analysis
Diet dependent changes on the gut •
microbiota may directly be studied
Individual responses may be studied•
Correlation between gut microbiota and •
health response may be achieved
Metabolomics platform
Dr. Matej Oresic
Tel. + 358 40 705 5156
Gut microbiota analysis
MSc(Tech) Johanna Maukonen
Tel. + 358 40 518 4971
Technology and market foresight • Strategic research • Product and service development • IPR and licensing • Assessments, testing, inspection, certification • Technology and innovation management • Technology partnership
VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLANDwww.vtt.fi