Key takeaways:
- Fermented cabbage protected polarized intestinal epithelial cells in opposition to cytokine-induced injury, whereas uncooked cabbage or brine didn’t.
- Advantages have been comparable with bought and laboratory-produced sauerkraut.
The metabolites in fermented cabbage protected polarized intestinal epithelial cells in opposition to injury by proinflammatory cytokines, in line with a research printed in Utilized and Environmental Microbiology.
These helpful results weren’t noticed with uncooked cabbage, findings confirmed.
The metabolites in fermented cabbage protected polarized intestinal epithelial cells in opposition to injury by proinflammatory cytokines. Picture: Adobe Inventory.
Maria L. Marco
“Our research affirms how fermentation dramatically modifications the bioactive composition of our meals and drinks, and the way these modifications might impression our digestive tract,” Maria L. Marco, PhD, co-author and professor within the division of meals science and expertise at College of California Davis, instructed Healio. “Though extra research must be accomplished, an image is forming that we discover well being advantages from fermented meals not noticed from consuming the uncooked or cooked components these meals are constituted of.”
Helpful metabolites
Earlier research have highlighted the well being advantages of fermented greens, however the mechanisms by which optimistic outcomes happen is unknown, in line with research background.
To higher perceive how fermented cabbage would possibly have an effect on intestinal perform, Marco and Lei Wei, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, in contrast uncooked cabbage, store-bought and laboratory-scale fermented cabbage, and liquid brine from the fermentation course of.
The researchers ready the laboratory ferments in a brine answer with and with out Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and assessed each preparations after 7 and 14 days of incubation.
Marco and Wei used a polarized Caco-2 cell mannequin to check the merchandise in opposition to proinflammatory cytokine injury.
Outcomes confirmed that the fermented cabbage — however not the uncooked cabbage or liquid brine — had protecting results in opposition to cytokine-induced injury to the Caco-2 monolayer.
Metabolomic analyses utilizing liquid and fuel chromatography led to the identification of 481 metabolites. The metabolites within the fermented cabbage — which included D-phenyl-lactate and indole-3-lactate — have been distinct from the uncooked cabbage and altered over time and with the addition of L. plantarum.
“Our outcomes are just like prior research with regard to a number of the metabolite modifications and potential for fermented cabbage to be intestine barrier protecting,” Marco stated. “Nonetheless, our work was extra complete than [what has been] reported beforehand.”
‘Good for intestine well being’
The researchers additionally evaluated the metabolites individually and located that they supplied solely partial safety in opposition to cytokine injury. This means that these protecting compounds are steadily enriched in the course of the fermentation course of and extra helpful as a mix.
“We additionally discovered that the enrichment of the largely helpful compounds was constant throughout sauerkraut ferments,” Marco stated. “This discovering is helpful as a result of it means that, as long as the fermented cabbage is made accurately, we don’t must depend on a single business model to get a profit from consuming that kind of meals.”
Marco famous that though these findings are promising, analysis in people is required to find out whether or not these results lengthen to a real-world setting.
“A serious limitation is that the research was carried out in vitro,” Marco stated. “It’s essential to carry out human research to grasp the intestine modulatory results of sauerkraut in comparison with uncooked or cooked cabbage.”
She added, “Fermented meals like sauerkraut are enriched in metabolites recognized to be good for intestine well being. They are often really useful for inclusion in a nutritious diet.”
For extra info:
Maria L. Marco, PhD, could be reached at mmarco@ucdavis.edu.
