A Novel Sprouted Oat Fermented Beverage: Evaluation of Safety and Health Benefits for Celiac Individuals

• Main Authors: Natalia Aparicio-García, Cristina Martínez-Villaluenga, Juana Frias, Laura Crespo Perez, Cristina Fernández Fernández, Claudio Alba, Juan Miguel Rodríguez, Elena Peñas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: oat; germination; fermentation; beverage; celiac disease; gluten-free diet
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2522

The safety and health effects for celiac people of a novel beverage (SOFB) developed from sprouted oat flour by fermentation with <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> was explored. In vitro reactivity against anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory potential of SOFB in RAW 264.7 macrophages and Caco-2 cells were evaluated. Immunoreactivity against AGA and antioxidant activity were not detected in SOFB, but it exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity. The tolerability and impact of SOFB consumption for 6 months on nutritional status and intestinal microbiota composition were investigated in 10 celiac adults (five treated and five control). SOFB consumption did not adversely affect duodenal mucosa nor the total IgA or anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody (IgA-tTG) levels in celiac participants, but it significantly decreased total cholesterol levels at all sampling times and folic acid levels at the end of the study compared to the placebo beverage. SOFB administration also shifted gut microbiota, leading to a higher relative abundance of some beneficial bacteria including the genera <i>Subdoligranulum</i>, <i>Ruminococcus</i> and <i>Lactobacillus</i> in the SOFB group. This study provides supporting evidence of the safety of health benefits of a novel functional beverage produced from sprouted oat.