RT Journal Article
T1 Effect of Freezing on Gut Microbiota Composition and Functionality for In Vitro Fermentation Experiments
A1 Pérez-Burillo, Sergio
A1 Hinojosa-Nogueira, Daniel
A1 Navajas-Porras, Beatriz
A1 Blasco, Telmo
A1 Balzerani, Francesco
A1 Lerma-Aguilera, Alberto
A1 León, Daniel
A1 Pastoriza, Silvia
A1 Apaolaza, Iñigo
A1 Planes, Francisco J.
A1 Francino, Maria Pilar
A1 Rufián-Henares, José Ángel
K1 Gut microbiota
K1 Freezing
K1 Storage
K1 Foods
K1 Bioactive compounds
K1 Microbioma gastrointestinal
K1 Congelación
K1 Alimentos
K1 Fitoquímicos
AB The gut microbiota has a profound effect on human health and is modulated by food and bioactive compounds. To study such interaction, in vitro batch fermentations are performed with fecal material, and some experimental designs may require that such fermentations be performed with previously frozen stools. Although it is known that freezing fecal material does not alter the composition of the microbial community in 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequencing studies, it is not known whether the microbial community in frozen samples could still be used for in vitro fermentations. To explore this, we undertook a pilot study in which in vitro fermentations were performed with fecal material from celiac, cow's milk allergic, obese, or lean children that was frozen (or not) with 20% glycerol. Before fermentation, the fecal material was incubated in a nutritious medium for 6 days, with the aim of giving the microbial community time to recover from the effects of freezing. An aliquot was taken daily from the stabilization vessel and used for the in vitro batch fermentation of lentils. The microbial community structure was significantly different between fresh and frozen samples, but the variation introduced by freezing a sample was always smaller than the variation among individuals, both before and after fermentation. Moreover, the potential functionality (as determined in silico by a genome-scaled metabolic reconstruction) did not differ significantly, possibly due to functional redundancy. The most affected genus was Bacteroides, a fiber degrader. In conclusion, if frozen fecal material is to be used for in vitro fermentation purposes, our preliminary analyses indicate that the functionality of microbial communities can be preserved after stabilization.
PB MDPI
YR 2021
FD 2021-06-27
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/3548
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/3548
LA en
NO Pérez-Burillo S, Hinojosa-Nogueira D, Navajas-Porras B, Blasco T, Balzerani F, Lerma-Aguilera A, et al. Effect of Freezing on Gut Microbiota Composition and Functionality for In Vitro Fermentation Experiments. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2207.
DS RISalud
RD Apr 5, 2025