Milk-delivered postbiotics from <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp. <i>lactis</i> BB-12 modulate the gut microbiota-SCFA-immune axis in rats compared to probiotic delivery
FOOD & FUNCTION, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1039/d6fo01905f
- Dergi Adı: FOOD & FUNCTION
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, EMBASE, MEDLINE
- Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Despite growing interest in postbiotics as stable alternatives to probiotics, their efficacy when delivered through food matrices and their integrated effects on the gut microbiota-metabolite-immune axis remain poorly understood. This study investigated whether postbiotic-enriched milk derived from Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 can functionally modulate host-microbiota interactions in vivo, in comparison with probiotic milk and appropriate controls. Postbiotics, consisting of heat-inactivated bacterial cells and their metabolites, were generated by thermal inactivation (95 degrees C for 30 min) and incorporated into UHT milk at a level equivalent to cultures containing 10(9) CFU mL(-1) prior to heat inactivation. Following a 28-day intervention in healthy rats, gut microbiota composition, cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and systemic immune parameters were comprehensively evaluated. Postbiotic delivery through a milk matrix selectively reshaped gut microbial composition without altering overall diversity, indicating targeted ecological modulation. Notably, postbiotics reduced Bacteroidota abundance and shifted the Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio toward a more balanced profile, accompanied by enrichment of taxa associated with carbohydrate fermentation and microbial cross-feeding. These compositional changes translated into a significant increase in SCFA production, particularly butyrate (p < 0.05), highlighting enhanced metabolic functionality of the gut microbiota. Importantly, postbiotic supplementation induced a systemic immune shift toward a Th1-oriented response, with increased IFN-gamma and IL-2 levels and reduced IL-4, IL-13, and IgE, alongside elevated IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations. Spearman correlation analysis confirmed strong functional links connecting specific microbial shifts to both SCFA profiles and cytokine modulations. In several parameters, postbiotic milk exhibited comparable or superior effects relative to probiotic milk. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that food-delivered B. lactis BB-12 postbiotics can reprogram the gut microbiota-SCFA-immune axis in vivo, supporting their potential as a stable, next-generation functional dairy strategy.