Lay summary
Prebiotics are dietary fibre that feed “friendly” gut bacteria and stimulate production of functional metabolites, leading to a healthier digestive system. A healthy digestive system impacts many areas of health including reducing risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. New Zealand suffers high rates of these conditions, with our indigenous communities being disproportionately affected. Currently, a narrow range of confirmed prebiotics exist, with plant based glycans dominating the market. In this project, we will expand on exciting preliminary findings to develop closely related, yet under-explored NZ sourced marine glycans and their enzymatically modified derivatives as potential new prebiotics. We will screen these novel compounds for prebiotic activities using an in vitro gut microbiome model system, that will be further developed in this project. This research represents a pioneering examination of Aotearoa’s marine resources to directly benefit human health and will lay the groundwork for development of NZ sourced novel prebiotics.