Probiotic Chocolate Containing Lactobacillus plantarum Dad-13 Alters the Gut Microbiota Composition of Undernourished Children in Lombok: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial

Abstract

The present study investigated the ingestion effect of chocolate probiotic containing Lactobacillus plantarum Dad-13 in undernourished children. A 100-day observation was conducted on undernourished children in Lombok, who were divided into probiotic (n=28) and placebo (n=28) groups. Fecal sampling was performed on the 10th and 100th days and further analyzed for gut microbiota composition, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), and fecal pH. A significant difference was found in the diversity index, fecal pH, and several microbiotas at the phylum and genus levels. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes was significantly higher in the probiotic group, and a higher relative abundance (RA) of Firmicutes was found in the placebo group. At the genus level, significant differences were observed in some bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Prevotella. Therefore, it can be concluded that the probiotic intervention in this study resulted in changes of gut microbiota diversity and fecal pH.