Impact of Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) by-Product on Composition and Metabolic Activity of Human Colonic Microbiota In Vitro Indicates Prebiotic Properties

• Published in: Current microbiology Vol. 78; no. 6; pp. 2264 - 2274
• Main Authors: Menezes, Francisca Nayara Dantas Duarte, da Cruz Almeida, Érika Tayse, da Silva Vieira, Arthur Rodrigo, de Souza Aquino, Jailane, dos Santos Lima, Marcos, Magnani, Marciane, de Souza, Evandro Leite
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abundance; Acid production; Agricultural wastes; Bacteria; Bioactive compounds; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Byproducts; Composition; Dietary fiber; Digestive system; Fatty acids; Fermentation; Fibers; Fructans; Gastrointestinal tract; Industrial wastes; Lactic acid; Lactic acid bacteria; Life Sciences; Metabolism; Microbiology; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Nutrients; pH effects; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Prebiotics; Relative abundance
• ISSN: 0343-8651; 1432-0991
• DOI: 10.1007/s00284-021-02502-z

Cashew apple by-product (CAB) is an important agro-industrial waste still underutilized, although it has been characterized as source of a variety of nutrients and bioactive compounds. This study evaluated the capability of freeze-dried CAB (FCAB) submitted to a simulated gastrointestinal digestion of inducing changes in relative abundance of distinct microbial groups found as part of human colonic microbiota, as well as in pH and short-chain fatty acid production during a 24-h in vitro fermentation using a pooled human fecal inocula. FCAB increased the relative abundance of
Bifidobacterium
and
Lactobacillus/Enterococcus
during colonic fermentation, besides to decrease the relative abundance of
Bacteroides/Prevotella
,
Eubacterium rectale/Clostridium coccoides,
and
Clostridium histolyticum
. FCAB increased the counts of lactic acid bacteria and decreased the counts of Enterobacteriaceae during colonic fermentation. Furthermore, FCAB decreased pH and increased the production of short-chain fatty acids in colonic fermentation media. These effects could be linked to contents of dietary fibers and the presence of fructans and different phenolic compounds found in FCAB. These results showed that FCAB induced positive alterations in composition and metabolic activity of human colonic microbiota in vitro, which indicate prebiotic properties.