Current in Vitro and Animal Models for Understanding Foods: Human Gut–Microbiota Interactions

The food–gut microbiota interaction is an important regulator of human health. Numerous in vitro and animal models have thus been developed in order to simulate the specific food–gut microbiota and/or host–gut microbiota interactions in the human colon. This review summarizes the design principles of each model and discusses their advantages and weaknesses in terms of studying food–gut microbiota interactions. In vitro fermentation models appear to be reliable methods to investigate various aspects involved in the food–gut microbiota interactions in humans. However, many physiological perspectives lack appreciation of these models, such as peristaltic movement, biochemical conditions, and gastrointestinal anatomy. Animal models provide more physiological relevance to human trials compared to in vitro models. However, they may have gastrointestinal tract aspects that are distinct from human subjects. This review contains important information that can help the development of more advanced models to study food–gut microbiota interactions in humans.