Investigating the effect of a seaweed-derived common food ingredient (carrageenan) on the human gut microbiome

Carrageenan is a seaweed extract used extensively in prepared food including dairy, bakery and meat products. It is growing in popularity as a common food ingredient, however some negative press has reported an association with harmful gastrointestinal effects. Seaweed and their extracts in general are considered beneficial to the human diet as they are rich in nutrients and have been associated with positive health outcomes.

Hence, there is an urgent need to better understand the impact of carrageenan consumption on gut and overall health.

The gut is home to a complex community of microorganisms (gut microbiome) which supports the host in terms of digestion and breaking down dietary components, synthesis of vitamins, generation of microbial metabolites and playing an important role in maintaining immune health by protecting against invading pathogens. Research has demonstrated that alterations to the gut microbiome can impact on host health (both positively and negatively).

We hypothesise that carrageenan will alter the diversity and relative distribution of microbial populations, and that this change in composition may result in alteration of microbial activity, which has the potential to impact on human health.

This PhD project spanning the entire Food System, entails a cross-disciplinary approach to better understand the impact of carrageenan on the human gut microbiome. Applying the knowledge and expertise of the two academic supervisors and industrial supervisor (Cargill), it will involve cutting edge techniques such as seaweed extraction, in vitro microbiological studies (including setting up and running laboratory models of the human gut), producing a carrageenan-containing food product at scale, running a human dietary trial followed by a multi-omics (microbiomics and metabolomics) analytical approach to characterise the change in microbial and metabolic profile following carrageenan consumption.