Strategies to Assess the Impact of Sustainable Functional Food Ingredients on Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Nowadays, it is evident that food ingredients have different roles and distinct health benefits to the consumer. Over the past years, the interest in functional foods, especially those targeting gut health, has grown significantly. The use of industrial byproducts as a source of new functional and sustainable ingredients as a response to such demands has raised interest. However, the properties of these ingredients can be affected once incorporated into different food matrices. Therefore, when searching for the least costly and most suitable, beneficial, and sustainable formulations, it is necessary to understand how such ingredients perform when supplemented in different food matrices and how they impact the host’s health. As proposed in this manuscript, the ingredients’ properties can be first evaluated using in vitro gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulation models prior to validation through human clinical trials. In vitro models are powerful tools that mimic the physicochemical and physiological conditions of the GIT, enabling prediction of the potentials of functional ingredients per se and when incorporated into a food matrix. Understanding how newly developed ingredients from undervalued agro-industrial sources behave as supplements supports the development of new and more sustainable functional foods while scientifically backing up health-benefits claims.

Towards the characterisation of sustainable diet’s gut microbiota composition and functions: A narrative review

“…Therefore, they should be used to improve current food production and direct it towards more sustainable techniques. Even technologies can help produce sustainable, functional food ingredients to modulate the human gut microbiota (de Carvalho et al, 2023).…”

Biopolymers-Based Macrogels with Applications in the Food Industry: Capsules with Berry Juice for Functional Food Products

“…According to research studies in recent years, consumers have refined their choices and focused their attention on functional foods with significant health benefits. Fruits such as aronia berries, blueberries, or sea buckthorn are recognized for their high antioxidant content and their beneficial effects on the microbiota [17][18][19].…”