Impact of tempeh supplementation on gut microbiota composition in Sprague-Dawley rats

Abstract

Tempeh is a popular Indonesian fermented food made from soybean that can be a good source of dietary fibers for human health. Dietary fibers have the ability to modulate gut microbiota composition in order to improve human health. In this study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed a standard diet supplemented with cooked and de-hulled soybean or tempeh for 28 days. The specific bacterial groups in fecal samples were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction with 16S rRNA gene-targeted, group-specific primers. Populations of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides fragilis, Firmicutes and Clostridium leptum increased when supplemented with tempeh. In addition, the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes was lower in groups fed with either raw or cooked tempeh compared to the soybean group. Previous studies showed that obese hosts have higher ratios of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes compared to the lean hosts. Increased Bacteroidetes populations after tempeh supplementation indicated that tempeh might modulate the composition of gut microbiota toward a healthier gut. © 2014 Academic Journals Inc.