Location: Small Grain and Food Crops Quality Research
Project Number: 3060-21650-002-054-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
End Date: Dec 31, 2025
Objective:
(1) Identify defined organism fermentations of pulses to differentially control composition; (2) Assess dose dependent impacts of non-nutritional factors on the gut microbiota; and (3) Conduct pilot clinical trial of unfermented vs fermented chickpea to assess butyrate production and inflammation.
Approach:
In Objective 1, we will use four organisms, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum that each differ in their ability to process the various non-nutritional factors found in pulses. These fermentations will be performed for various amounts of time to exert control over the levels of the non-nutritional factors in a predictable way. In Objective 2, using pulses, fermented pulses, commercial substrates (phytate, oxalate) or pulse fractions (polyphenols, saponins) at different doses, we will investigate the ability of pulse non-nutritional factors to alter the composition of the gut microbiome. In Objective 3, we will investigate what happens to the gut microbiome as people consume the same pulse in fermented or non-fermented form. Both butyrate production and inflammation markers will be measured.
