MICROGUT

Investigation of the nutritional quality and the interaction with the microbiota of new protein alternatives through the combination of new dynamic digestion technologies and Organ-on-Chip (OOC) intestinal modeling.

The MICROGUT project aims to investigate the application of new OOC technologies for the recreation of the microenvironment of the human colon, including the microbiota and its interaction with the cellular and molecular component of the epithelium, optimising dynamic digestion systems to recreate the biochemical conditions in vitro, microstructure and fluidics of the three differentiated sections of the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum).

MICROGUT will explore the techno-functional properties of up to 20 alternative proteins and the impact of different industrial processes typical of the meat industry on the protein quality of the resulting products.

In addition, the application of the MICROGUT platform, which integrates the dynamic small intestine coupled to the OOC, will be validated for the in vitro assessment of the real nutritional quality of proteins through PDCAAS and DIAAS scores and for the study of the interaction between these proteins and the microbiota, using in vivo studies in rats and ex vivo studies in humans as reference.

The project will generate new compact and standardisable technological tools that allow integrating the evaluation of real protein quality at an industrial level, as well as new scientific evidence on the impact of industrial processes on protein quality and the interaction between new alternative proteins and the microbiota intestinal.

Protein transition represents an upward market trend, despite the limited information available on the actual nutritional quality of these alternative proteins and the impact they may have on the long-term health of consumers.

In this scenario, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) underlines the need to generate standard methodologies and scientific evidence to harmonise the dietary intake of these new products with human protein needs.

Eurecat participates in the MICROGUT project through its Nutrition and Health Unit, the Omic Sciences Unit and the New Manufacturing Processes Unit. They will be responsible for the study of new cell growth membranes based on polymeric biomaterials, the development of the microfluidic and structural elements necessary for the optimisation of the small intestine model and the validation of the MICROGUT platform.