Green kiwifruit modulates the colonic microbiota in growing pigs

Aims: To investigate whether green kiwifruit modulates the composition of colonic microbiota in growing pigs. Methods and Results: Thirty‐two pigs were fed the control diet or one of the three test diets containing either cellulose, freeze‐dried kiwifruit or kiwifruit fibre as the sole fibre source for 14‐day study. A Ward’s dendrogram of similarity cluster analysis on PCR‐DGGE gels revealed that inclusion of freeze‐dried kiwifruit and kiwifruit fibre into diets altered the bacterial community, indicating the presence of two distinct clusters. Quantification of different bacterial groups by qPCR demonstrated that pigs fed the freeze‐dried kiwifruit or kiwifruit fibre diets had a significantly higher number (P < 0·05) of total bacteria and Bacteroides group and a lower number of Enterobacteria and Escherichia coli group, as well as a greater ratio of Lactobacillus to Enterobacteria when compared to pigs fed the control or cellulose diets. Conclusions: Green kiwifruit, mainly because of fibre, modulated the colonic microbiota, leading to an improved intestinal environment in growing pigs. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first report regarding the effect of green kiwifruit on gut microbiota using the in vivo pig model. These results provide the first evidence of interaction between green kiwifruit and colonic microbiota.