Scientific Publications
In vitro effect of a chickpea-dark chocolate snack on gut microbiota composition and activity
Scientific Reports
The gut microbiota plays a key role in host nutrition and immune regulation, and its composition and function are strongly influenced by diet. Functional foods can positively influence microbial composition and activity, positioning the gut microbiome as a key target for nutritional interventions. Here, we evaluated the effects of a novel legume snack consisting of chickpeas and dark chocolate on short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production and gut microbiota composition using an in vitro human colon model. Faecal samples from three healthy donors were inoculated under anaerobic conditions and exposed to chickpeas, chocolate, or the combined snack for 48 h. SCFA concentrations were quantified over time, and 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was used to assess microbial community composition. SCFA increased over fermentation time: the snack promoted higher acetate, propionate and, to a lesser extent, butyrate production compared with the control and individual ingredients, with the most consistent effects observed after 48 h. Microbiota profiling indicated that donor variability, incubation time and treatment contributed to differences in overall microbial composition. Differential abundance analysis, accounting for fermentation time, identified specific bacterial genera significantly associated with treatment after multiple testing correction. Moreover, several bacterial taxa showed positive associations with SCFA production and fermentation progression, suggesting links between microbial compositional shifts and functional metabolic activity during fermentation. Overall, these findings suggest that the chickpea-dark chocolate snack may represent a fermentable substrate capable of modulating microbial activity and SCFA production under in vitro conditions, providing preliminary evidence to support further investigation of its potential functional properties.
Scientific Reports
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