Microencapsulated phenolic compounds from organic coffee husk: Impacts on human gut microbiota and in vitro prebiotic...

This research investigated the influence of the microencapsulation of phenolic compounds (PCs) from organic coffee husk with whey protein concentrate (WPC) and maltodextrin on the abundance of intestinal bacterial populations and their metabolic activity during in vitro fecal fermentation. The microencapsulated PCs were gradually metabolized during fecal fermentation, resulting in significant transformations and an increase in PCs in the fermentation media. The metabolism of PCs by the fecal microbiota occurred concurrently with the consumption of sugars, production of organic acids, and reduction in pH in the media. The PCs, especially when encapsulated, promoted an increase in the abundance of Lactobacillus spp./Enterococcus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and Ruminococcus albus/R. flavefaciens, and a reduction in the abundance of Bacteroides spp./Prevotella spp., Clostridium histolyticum, and Eubacterium rectale/Clostridium cocoides. The results suggest that the PCs exhibited prebiotic potential, with their efficacy enhanced by microencapsulation, particularly when WPC was used exclusively as the encapsulating agent.