Validating the unique nutritional profile of a sustainable alternative mycelial product on health (The Nutrcelium project)

The Nutricelium project aimed to evaluate the gut health benefits of micro-organism-derived products, including a mycelial product, using advanced in vitro and ex vivo gut models. This project uniquely combined in vitro digestion (INFOGEST), ex vivo gut tissue (InTESTine), and in vitro gut microbiome (i-screen) techniques to assess these food ingredients. The outcomes are expected to support improved nutrition development with long-lasting effects on gut and overall health. 

First, in vitro digestion of different microbe-derived products was performed, that included for example pure beta-glucan from algae but also complex products with fibres and proteins. Second, several InTESTine studies were conducted, showing increased GLP-1 and PYY concentrations in human gut tissues upon exposure to digested products. In WP3, several i-screen studies were completed, revealing increased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and butyrate concentration from digested products. 

The individual and combined use of the technologies INFOGEST digestion, InTESTine gut tissue model, and i-screen microbiome platform are valuable for evaluating the gut health benefits of micro-organism-derived products. For the first time, it was shown that pre-digested microbe-derived products stimulate satiety hormone release from the human small (ileum) and large intestine (colon) in a dose-dependent way. Additionally, i-screen fermented products can affect satiety hormone release, with i-screen fermented products stimulating the release of GLP-1 from porcine colon. Digested products modulated gut barrier function by increasing gut barrier permeability for small and large molecules. Digested but not undigested products increased the production of SCFAs and promoted the share of butyrate to the total, thereby promoting an SCFA profile associated with health benefits. Overall, various health benefits from microbe-derived products on gut microbiota composition and activity, as well as barrier function and satiety hormone release from the intestine, were observed.