Collinsella intestinalis as Potential Marker of Processed Dairy Consumption

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Maillard Reaction products (MRPs) are formed during the polymerization of a sugar and amino acid in the presence of heat, most of which add desirable flavor and aroma to the food we eat such as bread, powdered milk products and other thermally treated items. MRPs have been shown to impact the composition and diversity of the human gut microbiome, especially in the context of industrially processed food items. Previous research has shown one common MRP, fructoselysine (which is produced during the hydrolysis of whey protein) dramatically increases the absolute abundance of Collinsella intestinalis in germ free mice inoculated with human flora. Given that the consumption of MRP products may stimulate the proliferation of C. intestinalis in the human gut flora, here we aim to determine if presence of C. intestinalis DNA in human coprolites serves as a reliable indicator of consumption of thermally processed foods with MRPs such as bread, cereals and milk products. By comparing humans with wild gorillas and chimpanzees—which do not consume thermally treated products—we can determine if C. intestinalis is present in the Homo gastrointestinal system regardless of food preparation methods. This could serve as a marker of processed dairy consumption in the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53971