Increasing dietary fibre intake is crucial for meeting dietary guidelines and supporting the production of beneficial metabolites by the gut microbiota, such as short-chain fatty acids. However, metabolism of indigestible fibers by the gut microbiota also produces gases, which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, at worst disabling in sensitive individuals e.g., with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gas formation varies between individuals and is influenced by the chemical structure of dietary fibres, capacity of the gut microbiota to metabolise them, further modified by gut pH and transit rate.
The main aim of the FIBRE-MATCH project is to match dietary fibre types to gut microbiome subtypes to optimise metabolic output and minimize digestive symptoms. This involves identifying major fibre-metabolising microbiome types in Europeans, in vitro screening of their metabolic outputs from common dietary fibres, and developing fermented fibre-rich food prototypes to study in a proof of concept trial whether microbiome-tailored high-fibre foods can be eaten without provoking gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, the project will develop a database on the contents of different dietary fibres in foods and evaluate the impact of microbiota-matched dietary fibre on non-communicable disease risk markers and habitual fibre intake.