Blatchford, P,PhD Dissertation, University of Reading (UK), 2015
A new Actinidia chinensis gold-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar ‘Zesy002’ was tested to investigate whether it could positively modulate the composition of the human colonic microbiota. Digested Zesy002 kiwifruit was added to in vitro pH-controlled anaerobic batch fermenters that were inoculated with representative human faecal microbiota.
Alterations to the gut microbial ecology were determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolic end products were measured using gas chromatography and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results indicated a substantial shift in the composition of bacteria within the gut models caused by kiwifruit supplementation.
