Fermented food matrix influences gut microbiota responses in mice

Abstract Fermented foods offer a source of delivering microbes and microbial metabolites which can be utilised to modulate the health of the consumer. Studies determining the impact of fermented foods on gut microbiota composition and microbial metabolite profiles lack the incorporation of appropriate food substrate controls. Here, we investigate several fermented foods and beverages (kimchi, sauerkraut, water kefir and kombucha) along with their respective unfermented controls in shaping the murine gut microbiota profile and downstream microbial metabolite production. By employing murine models, we identified food matrices rather than their fermentation status influence gut microbiota composition and microbial metabolite production. Kimchi differentially modulated gut microbiota structure and acetate production compared with unfermented cabbage, whereas fermented beverages did not differ from their unfermented controls. The study provides an important first step for future studies that look at the impact of fermented foods in modulating mammalian gut microbiota composition and function.