Untargeted metabolomics to reveal red versus white meat‐associated gut metabolites in a prudent and western dietary context

Scope: To improve understanding of the epidemiological link between red and processed meat consumption and chronic diseases, more insight in the formation of metabolites during meat digestion is warranted.Methods and results: Untargeted MS-based metabolomics was applied to explore the impact of red and processed meat consumption (compared to chicken), combined with a prudent or Western dietary pattern. A pig feeding study (n=32), as a sentinel for humans, was conducted in a 2×2 factorial design for four weeks. The luminal content of the small intestine and colon of the pigs were collected to determine their metabolic fingerprints. Seventy-six unique metabolites (38 in small intestine, 32 in colon, and 6 in both intestinal compartments) contributing tothe distinct gut metabolic profiles of pigs fed either chicken or red and processed meat were (tentatively) identified. Consumption of red and processed meat resulted in higher levels of short-and medium-chain acylcarnitines and 3-dehydroxycarnitine, irrespective of dietary context, whereas long-chain acylcarnitines and monoacylglycerols were specifically associated with the red and processed-Western diet.Conclusion: The identification of red and processed meat-associated gut metabolites in this study contributes to the understanding of meat digestion in a complex but controlled dietary context and its potential health effect