Microbial metabolites profile during in vitro human colonic fermentation of breakfast menus consumed by Mexican school children

The nutrition transition promotes the development of childhood obesity. Currently, Mexico is affected by this serious public health problem. The nutritional and functional characterization of a whole menu has a number of advantages over the study of single nutrients. Since breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, this study aimed to evaluate the metabolite profile produced by in vitro human colonic fermentation of the isolated indigestible fraction (IF) from three different Mexican breakfast (M-B) menus (Modified “MM-B”, traditional “TM-B”, and alternative “AM-B”), previously identified as commonly consumed by Mexican schoolchildren in Nayarit State, Mexico. The M-B′s consist of egg, corn tortilla, beans (higher in TM-B), sugar and chocolate powder (higher in AM-B) and milk, combined in different proportions. The IF in all breakfasts was about 4.7–5.6 g/100 g FW, with a relatively high content of protein (≈ 21%), which might have negative physiological implications. Fermentation of IF from TM-B resulted in the largest pH decrease after 72 h (pH = 6.07), with a low short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production (0.75 to 47.23 mmol/L), but greater relative concentration of other fatty acids (FA) (C7, C8, C9). Besides, 55 volatile compounds were detected in the fermentation media by SPME-GC-MS and three principal components (PC) were identified. PC1 was influenced by SCFA production, low FA esters production (< 8C), and low volatile organic acids production. PC2 was influenced by the decrease in pH and an increase in antioxidant capacity (p < 0.0001). These results suggest that the production of different metabolites in the luminal medium may affect the pH and antioxidant status in the colon. Fermentation of IF from TM-M, assessed after 48 and 72 h, showed the highest correlation for PC2; the metabolic pattern registered for this IF maybe considered beneficial.