Untargeted metabolomics analysis of probiotic jujube juice and its anti‐obesity effects on high‐fat‐diet‐induced obese mice

Abstract BACKGROUND Dietary intervention, including polyphenol consumption, is recognized as an effective strategy to prevent obesity. Although fermented jujube juice (FJJ) with lactic acid bacteria has been shown to be rich in polyphenols and have strong antioxidant properties, little is known about its anti‐obesity properties. RESULTS Untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify and analyze the differential metabolites between FJJ and raw jujube juice. A total of 431 metabolites belonging to diverse classes and with various functional active ingredients were quantitatively identified. The animal experiments results showed that FJJ administration for 13 weeks significantly inhibited high‐fat‐diet‐induced body and epididymal adipose weight gain, and improved the serum lipid parameters in obese mice. Additionally, DNA‐sequencing results revealed that FJJ treatment increased Akkermansia abundance in the gut and changed the composition of fecal microbiota by decreasing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and Helicobacter pylori abundance. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that FJJ contributes to regulating lipid accumulation and gut microbiota composition in high‐fat‐diet‐induced obese mice, which helps to prevent obesity. Hence, FJJ has the potential to be a beneficial beverage for controlling obesity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.