Rat microbiome composition after alternative protein diet

By 2050, the global population will exceed 9 billion, necessitating a 70% increase in foodproduction. Animal proteins alone may not suffice and contribute to global warming.Alternative proteins such as legumes, algae, and insects are being explored, but their healthimpacts are largely unknown. For this, three-week-old rats were fed diets containing 20%protein from various sources for six weeks. A casein-based control diet was compared to soyisolate, spirulina powder, chickpea isolate, chickpea flour, and fly larvae powder. Except forspirulina, alternative protein groups showed comparable growth patterns to the caseingroup. Morphological and mechanical tests of femur bones matched growth patterns.Caecal 16S analysis highlighted the impact on gut microbiota diversity. Chickpea flourshowed significantly lower alpha-diversity compared with casein and chickpea isolate groupswhile chickpea flour, had the greatest distinction in beta-diversity. Alternative protein sourcessupported optimal growth, but quality and health implications require further exploration.