The Effect of Feeding Cocoa Powder and Lactobacillus rhamnosus on the Composition and Function of Pig Intestinal Microbiome.
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ABSTRACT: Dietary habits have been linked with variability of gut microbiota composition and disease risk.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding a cocoa powder with or without a probiotic on the composition and function of the fecal microbiome of pigs.Four groups of 8 pigs each were fed a standard growth diet supplemented with cocoa powder, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), cocoa powder + LGG, or an equal amount of fiber similar to that found in cocoa powder (control group). Fecal samples were collected prior to and 4 wk after initiation of the dietary intervention. Microbiota composition was determined after amplification of the first 2 variable regions of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Predictions of metagenomic function were calculated using 16S rDNA sequence data through Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt).After 4 wk of treatment, bacterial abundance analysis demonstrated a prebiotic effect of cocoa powder on endogenous Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae and increased abundance of saccharolytic butyrate-producing bacteria like Roseburia. An increased bacterial evenness, Shannon diversity index, and diverse metabolic profile were detected in microbiomes of pigs fed the cocoa powder + LGG (P < 0.05) but not in pigs in the other 3 groups.The data generated from this work demonstrated that 4-wk dietary treatment with cocoa powder alone or in combination with LGG probiotic had an impact on the composition and function of the fecal microbiota of healthy pigs.
SUBMITTER: Solano-Aguilar GI
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6041806 | biostudies-other | 2018 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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