Effects of Pectin on Intestinal Microbiota and Human Health

Abstract

Gut microbes are important players in human metabolism and their genomes are abundant in genes that regulate the metabolism of SFCAs, methane, amino acids, and carbohydrates. Pectin is a water-soluble dietary fiber, an abundant heteropolysaccharide in the main and intermediate cellular lamellae of plant cell walls. Pectin is degraded by a varied group of microorganisms residing in the human gut, which depolymerize pectin by secreting both cell-bound and extracellular enzymes to produce monosaccharides. The pectin fermentation degradation pathway is the main mechanism for the degradation of carbohydrates that cannot be digested in human GIT, and the end products include SCFAs, ethanol, CO2 and H2. The makeup of intestinal microbiota is impacted by these products. Additionally, the effect of pectin on intestinal microbial fractions is related to the structure of pectin, the intestinal environment and the degree of pectin esterification. Moreover, pectin itself and pectin degradation products contribute to human health by influencing intestinal microorganisms. Pectin is effective in modifying allergies to sensitization, reducing body composition and has a preventive effect on type I diabetes.