Recent studies have suggested that blackcurrant (BC) anthocyanins have promising health benefits, possibly through regulating gut microbiome. Three- and eighteen-month old female mice were fed standard mouse diets for 4 months, each with or without BC (1% w/w) supplementation (n = 3 in each treatment group, 12 in total). We then assessed gut microbiome profiles using 16S sequencing of their feces. Old mice had a less diverse microbiome community compared to young mice and there was a remarkable age-related difference in microbiome composition in the beta diversity analysis. BC supplementation did not significantly affect alpha or beta diversity. The relative abundance of several phyla, including Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Tenericutes, was lower in old mice. BC downregulated Firmicutes abundance in young mice and upregulated Bacteroidetes in both age groups, leading to a decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. There were age-specific differences in the effect of BC supplementation on the microbiome. Twenty-four operational taxonomic units showed a significant interaction between age and BC supplementation (p < 0.01), which suggests that the ecosystem and the host health status affect the functions and efficiency of BC intake. These results indicate that BC supplementation favorably modulates gut microbiome, but there are distinct age-specific differences. Studies with human hosts are needed to better understand BC’s regulatory effects on the gut microbiome.

The brown alga Saccharina japonica is widely consumed in Asian countries, and post-harvest drying methods such as sun drying and oven drying are commonly used to extend the shelf life of S. japonica. Thus, the present study analyzed the ethanol extract and organic solvent fractions of S. japonica to examine the effects of UVA and heating on certain bioactive compounds (fucoxanthin, phlorotannin compounds, and total antioxidants) during the drying process. The fucoxanthin contents in the ethanol extract and different solvent fractions significantly decreased in response to UVA. However, fucoxanthin in the ethanol extract and other fractions showed resistance to thermal treatment. It is noteworthy that the total phlorotannin content (TPC) in the ethanol extract and all fractions showed an approximately 2.5-fold increase upon UVA radiation. The TPC also increased in all samples exposed to high temperatures, except for those in the chloroform fraction. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) also exhibited significant increases in a pattern similar to the TPC. The findings demonstrate that UVA exposure and heating stimulated the degradation of fucoxanthin while it increased the TPC and TAC in the extract and fractions of S. japonica.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10068-023-01464-1.].