MOMIE - Modulation of the oral microbiota by the technological microbiota of a fermented food; influence on the taste perception of the rat

Context and challenges

Le comportement alimentaire est un déterminant clé de la santé humaine. Lorsqu’il est inadapté, il peut être à l’origine de pathologies variées incluant l’obésité, les maladies cardiovasculaires et le diabète. Parmi les facteurs biologiques connus pour influencer le comportement alimentaire, la perception gustative joue un rôle important. Cette perception varie fortement au sein de la population et les facteurs à l’origine de cette variabilité ne sont pas tous connus. Parmi ceux-ci, le microbiote oral pourrait jouer un rôle majeur. Si le microbiote oral a été largement étudié pour son implication dans les principales pathologies orales, en particulier la carie dentaire et la maladie parodontale, son impact sur la perception gustative n’a commencé à être étudié que très récemment. Nous formulons donc l’hypothèse qu’une alimentation riche en aliments fermentés peut moduler le microbiote oral et que cette modulation peut conduire à des modifications de la perception gustative.

The oral cavity is a part of the human holobiont which is made up of micro-organisms that have established close relationships with the oral environment. The oral cavity is involved in several functions, the first being food intake, which is guided by the sensory detection of foods, and particularly gustation. Our teams have established correlations between the composition of the oral microbiota and gustation, although a causal relationship has not been found.

Goals

This project aims to establish a causal relationship by studying the impact of the microbiota of food on the oral microbiota and by determining whether interactions between them give rise to changes in gustation. To answer these questions, we are planning to feed rats with a diet that contains a cheese fermented using selected and controlled lactic acid bacteria, compatible with oral implantation, versus a diet containing the same cheese subjected to ionising treatment. Gustatory sensitivity will be evaluated at the end of this dietary period, as well as the composition of the oral and faecal microbiotas. These analyses will be repeated after the diet has been withdrawn in order to study the resilience of the microbiota and the effects on gustation. This project is covered by areas 1 and 2 of the HOLOFLUX metaprogramme. It will be able to test the stability of the host microbiota in contact with an exogenous dietary microbiota and determine the latter's impact on a physiological function.

INRAE partners

Non INRAE partners