Assessment of the Effects of Edible Microalgae in a Canine Gut Model

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 16; p. 2100
• Main Authors: Delsante, Costanza, Pinna, Carlo, Sportelli, Federica, Dalmonte, Thomas, Stefanelli, Claudio, Vecchiato, Carla G., Biagi, Giacomo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 17-08-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Algae; Amines; Ammonia; Antioxidants; Aquatic microorganisms; Arthrospira platensis; Bacteria; Bioactive compounds; Biogenic amines; Biological activity; Biomass; canine nutrition; Chlorella; Chlorella vulgaris; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diet; Dietary minerals; Digestive system; DNA; dog intestinal microbiota; Dogs; Fatty acids; Feces; Fermentation; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Haematococcus pluvialis; Health promotion; in vitro fermentation; Incubation; Intestinal microflora; Investigations; Metabolism; Metabolites; microalgae; Microbiological analysis; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Natural resources; Nutrition; Phaeodactylum tricornutum; Populations; Prebiotics; Propionic acid; Proteins; Italy
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani12162100

Microalgae are a source of bioactive compounds having recently been studied for their possible application as health-promoting ingredients. The aim of the study was to evaluate in an in vitro canine gut model the effects of four microalgae, Arthrospira platensis (AP), Haematococcus pluvialis (HP), Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) and Chlorella vulgaris (CV), on some fecal microbial populations and metabolites. The four microalgae were subjected to an in vitro digestion procedure, and subsequently, the digested biomass underwent colonic in vitro fermentation. After 6 h of incubation, PT increased propionate (+36%) and butyrate (+24%), and decreased total BCFA (−47%), isobutyrate (−52%) and isovalerate (−43%) and C. hiranonis (−0.46 log10 copies/75 ng DNA). After 24 h, PT increased propionate (+21%) and isovalerate (+10%), and decreased the abundance of Turicibacter spp. (7.18 vs. 6.69 and 6.56 log10 copies/75 ng DNA for CTRL vs. PT, respectively); moreover, after 24 h, CV decreased C. coccoides (−1.12 log10 copies/75 ng DNA) and Enterococcus spp. (−0.37 log10 copies/75 ng DNA). In conclusion, the microbial saccharolytic activities and the shift in fecal bacterial composition were less pronounced than expected, based on current literature. This study should be considered as a preliminary assessment, and future investigations are required to better understand the role of microalgae in canine nutrition.