Microbiota-directed food formulation

It has been firmly established that the activity of the microbial species that inhabit our gut influence human metabolism. This in turn affects the balance between health and disease with diet playing a key role. As humans have moved away from traditional diets, we have observed a rise in obesity, as well as several non-communicable diseases that have now overtaken infectious diseases as the main cause of mortality worldwide. In response to this, food technologists and engineers have adopted food reformulation strategies. Most food formulations do not take into account microbial metabolism and the majority focus on sugar, fat and calorie reduction. There is a genuine opportunity to connect the advanced understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in host health with food engineering and formulation.