Modulation of human colon microbiota by naturally debittered olive patè enriched with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in an in vitro intestinal model

Olive pomace is one of the major by-products of olive oil production, generated in a great amount in Mediterranean countries causing environmental footprint and disposal problems. However, olive pomace can represent an important source of fibers, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds, whose exploitation as non-dairy alternatives is still limited. Therefore, we performed a lab scale biological debittering process by using a mixture of Lactiplantibacillus (Lpb.) pentosus starter strains, already isolated from olives brines and characterized for the oleuropeinolytic activity mixed together with selected Lpb. plantarum strains, recently investigated for their probiotic traits. Consequently, olive pate` samples were subjected to an ex-vivo colonic fermentation by using a fecal gut fermentation model (MICODE) inoculated with human feces collected from healthy donors. Results from colonic fermentations showed the ability of olive pate` to finely modulate gut microbiota independently to probiotic enrichment, while volatilome analysis revealed that olive pate` with probiotics produces healthy organic acids and attenuates negative indoles. Moreover, olive pate` with probiotics showed to possess potential prebiotic, eubiotic and bifidogenic activity on colon suggesting olive pate` as a good matrix for deliver probiotics as well as a valid and environmentally sustainable alternative for the development of innovative nondairy healthy foods.