New Study Reveals How Fungi Used in Food Processes Can Revolutionize Gut Health and Fight Against Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis).
The food industry has long utilized a variety of fungus strains, tapping into their unique abilities to ferment, create distinct flavors, or generate specific molecules.
A recent study has highlighted the probiotic potential of two such fungi in addressing gut inflammation.
This research, published in mSystems – an esteemed journal of the American Society for Microbiology, offers an innovative approach to creating probiotics.
“There is much to learn by studying the role of the fungal strains in the microbiota and host health and also that species simply used in food processes can be the source of new probiotics,” remarked Dr. Mathias L. Richard, the study’s principal investigator and Research Director at INRAE’s Micalis Institute in Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Can Fungi Offer Natural Gut Health Solutions?
Presently, the foodborne yeast varieties and their impact on gut microbiota and overall gut health remain largely uncharted territories. Yeasts, a type of microscopic fungi, are unicellular and reproduce through budding. Many have found applications for centuries, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae in bread and wine production, and others like Debaryomyces hansenii in cheese crust creation and maturation.
This research initiative aims to deepen our understanding of fungal microbiota’s potential implications on human health, with a specific focus on fungi employed by food manufacturers in product creation, such as cheeses and charcuterie.
“Since our interest is more focused on the role of fungi in gut health and on the development of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), we monitored the effect of these fungi on adapted in vitro and in vivo models,” explained Dr. Richard.
The team meticulously selected a diverse range of yeast species extensively utilized in food production, subjecting them to interaction assays with human cell cultures and a specialized animal model designed to replicate ulcerative colitis.
Gut Health and Fungi: A Surprising Partnership for Wellness
Their investigation revealed that certain strains from the food production sector could positively influence the gut and host in inflammatory conditions. Specifically, they pinpointed two yeast strains, Cyberlindnera jadinii and Kluyveromyces lactis, showcasing potential benefits in managing inflammatory responses within a mouse model of ulcerative colitis.
Further experiments aimed at uncovering the mechanisms behind these effects revealed that C. jadinii’s protective role might be attributed to alterations in bacterial microbiota following administration, subsequently impacting the sensitivity to gut inflammation through mechanisms yet to be fully understood.
Richard explained, “These 2 strains have never been specifically described with such beneficial effect, so even if it needs to be studied further, and particularly to see how they are efficient in humans, it is a promising discovery.”
The potential of C. jadinii and K. lactis as probiotic yeast strains in combating gut inflammation is evident, but additional research is crucial to unravel the mechanisms by which these strains act on gut health.
Source: mSystems
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