Effect of plant-based protein on gut microbiota

The goals of this research are to study the effect of mung bean protein-based products, including mung bean snacks (MBS) and textured vegetable protein (TVP), on treatment groups compared to control groups. The commercial ingredients group consists of mung bean powder (MBP) and pea powder (PP), while the commercial products group includes commercial pea texture (cPT) and commercial textured vegetable protein (cTVP). The study was focused on their proximate composition, digestibility, gut microbial profile, and fatty acid metabolite profiling. This study involves in vitro fecal fermentation using a simulated colon model that mimics human colon fermentation by healthy human fecal samples. The research outcomes proved that mung bean protein-based products may offer numerous health benefits to the host by enriching probiotics in the gut and producing their corresponding metabolites. This information supports the plant-based food industry and health-conscious consumers.