| Summary: | Superfood such as oats are a prime choice for those favouring healthier food because of its many reported benefits and affordability. Singaporeans were quick to pick up on the new health fad however, a point of concern is whether they have the gut microbiota required to break down the complex carbohydrate in oats to gain full benefits of oats consumption. A pre-treatment process could aid that process of breaking down the complex carbohydrates. There have been many investigations on the fermentation of oats using Lactobacillus plantarum, but few studies on using Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus fermentum. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the effect of pre-processed whole rolled oats on the microbiota of young healthy adult Singaporeans using Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus fermentum. These was evaluated using an ex-vivo intestinal microcosm by seeding the microcosm with a fecal homogenate from the healthy donors. The effect of the oats was monitored by quantifying the short chain fatty acids profile and the potentially benefit Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium with oats supplementation in the microcosms. It was found that oats supplementation resulted in elevation of the SCFA, acetic acid. Since high acetic acid levels have been reported to be beneficial for diabetes patients, oats consumption may have health benefits for these patients. Moreover, it was found that oats pre-treatment with S. boulardii increased Lactobacillus but not Bifidobacterium counts. Increased levels of Lactobacillus has been associated with improved digestive health. It was concluded that oats and pre-treated oats may provide health benefits by impacting on the gut microbiota.
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