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Updated: Oct 16, 2026

Individualized Reconstitution of Human Milk Microbiota: A Feasible Approach in Real-World Settings
Published on: February 7, 2025
Fermented milk fortified with Kolliphor HS 15 stabilized selenium nanoparticles modulates gut microbiota and improves
Zafar Rekhman1, Andrey Blinov1, Andrey Nagdalian1
1International Research Laboratory of Functional Materials and Food Systems, North Caucasus Federal University, Stavropol, Russia.
Abstract:
Selenium (Se) deficiency affects over 1 billion people worldwide, leading to increased susceptibility to various diseases and impaired gut health. To address this issue, the study aimed to develop a fermented milk (FM) fortified with Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) stabilized with Kolliphor HS 15 (KHS15). The research synthesized and characterized SeNPs-KHS15, showing favourable physicochemical properties with SeNPs sizes of 16 nm and high stability across various pHs (1.81-11.98). Fortified FM exhibited enhanced antioxidant activity and minimal physicochemical changes. In vivo studies revealed significantly improved Se bioavailability, with blood Se levels in rats reaching 2.8 μg/L after 21 days of consumption. The fortified FM demonstrated protective effects on intestinal health in broiler chickens with antibiotic-associated dysbiosis, evidenced by increased villi area in duodenum (1.79-fold) and cecum (4.0-fold). Selective-media plate counts, which are presumptive and were not confirmed by molecular methods, were higher for Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. and lower for opportunistic taxa in the FM-Se group; these microbiota observations are preliminary. Thus, the developed FM fortified with SeNPs-KHS15 shows promise as a proof-of-concept functional food platform for addressing Se deficiency and modulating gut health, with potential applications in animal and human nutrition pending replacement of the pharmaceutical-grade KHS15 stabilizer with a food-grade alternative. At the same time, the advantage of KHS15 over Tween 80 or other food-grade emulsifiers was not tested.
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