Elaboration of sodium alginate/FOS and bacterial cellulose/inulin nanofibers particles functionalized with bioactive ingredients and their potential effects on gut microbiota modulation of obese subjects

• Grant number: 24/08062-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Katia Sivieri
• Grantee: David de Paulo Farias
• Host Institution: Universidade de Araraquara (UNIARA). Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently represent serious public health problems throughout the world. In recent years, the interest of the scientific community has increased in trying to understand the role played by the intestinal microbiota in the body's health and the relationship between its composition and the emergence of NCDs, in order to develop less aggressive therapeutic approaches. Probiotics are widely recognized for their potential to alter the gut microbiota composition, promoting the colonization of commensal bacteria and increasing the production of bioactive substances with potential health effects, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). However, other bioactive ingredients also have the ability to modulate the intestinal microbiota and promote the body's homeostasis, such as phenolic compounds. Despite scientific evidence demonstrating their beneficial effects on health, such ingredients can undergo significant changes during gastrointestinal digestion, which can substantially reduce their bioactivities. In this regard, microencapsulation can be a very interesting alternative to preserve its functional characteristics and at the same time guarantee the targeted delivery of these ingredients. This project proposes the development of functional microcapsules consisting of sodium alginate/FOS and bacterial cellulose/inulin loaded with phenolic extract of uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess.) and probiotic strains, as well as evaluating their stability during the digestive process and their effects in modulating the gut microbiota of obese subjects.