Speaker: Dr Petra LOUIS, the Rowett Institute, Aberdeen, UK

Microbiota has multiple functions and effects on the host: barrier against pathogens, immune interactions, release and transform dietary phytochemicals, xenobiotics and host metabolites, produce short chain fatty acids that influence host health.
Non digestible carbohydrates or fibres are important substrates for this gut microbiota as well as resistant starch greatly influence the microbiota composition and metabolism. More than the individual bacteria types, the metabolic bacterial network is important through the cross-feeding between fibre-degrading, oligosaccharide users, lactate or acetate producers which will give substrate for butyrate producers. Some carbohydrates are more butyrogenic or propionigenic. Similar interactions exist in amino acids and proteins within the microbial community. Future will be based on modelling microbiota metabolism showing that interactions between microbes, environment (pH, …) and dietary substrates (indigestible fractions) are essential.

Advancia Academy 2019- Butyrate: from the Nutrient to the Messenger - Presentation