Walsh Fellowship Number – 2014073 Duration – 4 year PhD Title: Potential of fermented foods to impact on gut microbiota Abstract: The Irish dairy industry is about to enter a period of unprecedented growth in terms of milk output as a consequence of removal of EU milk production quotas in 2015. Global cheese markets are expanding and this represents a ready market for increase sales of Irish cheese. There is growing evidence in the scientific literature relating to the potential of food to programme gut microbiota and in so doing impact positively on gut-health. Fermented food and in particular cheese, is a well recognised source of lactobacilli which are an important component of a healthy gut microbiota. Indeed, many of the commercially successful probiotic bacteria represent species that are commonly found in fermented foods such as cheese. Fermented foods are also highly nutritious foods that offer the potential to directly influence the growth of the endogenous gut microbiota. The research proposed in this project will be directed towards (i) analysis of a large biobank (over 1,000 strains) of lactobacilli sourced from cheese, using both conventional and molecular microbiological techniques, to determine their potential to form part of the healthy human gut microbiota and to provide data demonstrating the relative frequency at which natural Non Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria (NSLAB) strains from cheese express the ability to survive gastric transit and (ii) elucidating the potential of cheese consumption to impact on the gut microbiota, using the pig as a model for the human gut. This information, together with the development of manufacturing technologies to produce cheese containing high population densities of NSLAB strains capable of surviving gastric transit will subsequently be available to the industry to support their product development strategies. Contact: Prof Paul O’Toole 021 4903000 [email protected] Microbiology, UCC, Cork OR Dr Tom Beresford 025 42304 [email protected] Food Biosciences, Teagasc, Moorepark Fermoy, Co. Cork ********************************************
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:13:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015