Traditional fermented milk product from Zambia shifts the gut microbiota to healthier metabolism in a simulated SHIME® model system.

Abstract

The human gut contains a complex and highly variable microbial ecosystem of which the composition is affected by the health condition, lifestyle and diet of the host. Fermented dairy products harbour microorganisms favourable to the human gut microbial community. Mabisi, a spontaneous fermented local dairy product from Zambia, carries a variety of potentially beneficial microorganisms. Using the gastrointestinal tract (GI-tract) model system, SHIME®, we tested how the administration of mabisi affects the composition and functionality of the human colon gut microbiota. After ten days of feeding mabisi into the GI-tract model system, the composition of the gut microbial community shifted towards a more even distribution of genera was similar to the community composition obtained by intervention with a standard prebiotic, fructooligosaccharide (FOS). This effect remained even when mabisi was heat-treated and all bacteria there were killed prior to the administration. Comparably to FOS, the microbial shift after mabisi treatment coincides with an increase in concentration of short chain fatty acids. Our findings suggest that mabisi carries important bioactive compounds with a prebiotic potential and might support and stabilize the gut microbial community.