In vitro bioconversion of polyphenols from black tea and red wine/grape juice by human intestinal microbiota displays strong interindividual variability.

Dietary polyphenols in tea and wine have been associated with beneficial health effects. After ingestion, most polyphenols are metabolized by the colonic microbiota. The current study aimed at exploring the interindividual variation of gut microbial polyphenol bioconversion from 10 healthy human subjects. In vitro fecal batch fermentations simulating conditions in the distal colon were performed using polyphenols from black tea and a mixture of red wine and grape juice. Microbial bioconversion was monitored by NMR- and GC-MS-based profiling of diverse metabolites and phenolics. The complex polyphenol mixtures were degraded to a limited number of key metabolites. Each subject displayed a specific metabolite profile differing in composition and time courses as well as levels of these metabolites. Moreover, clear differences depending on the polyphenol sources were observed. In conclusion, varying metabolite pathways among individuals result in different metabolome profiles and therefore related health effects are hypothesized to differ between subjects.