PARTNERSHIP: Elucidating Gut Microbiota-dependent Health Impacts of Haskap Berries to Inform Agricultural Production Practices That Will Maximize Bioactive Potential

The long-term goal of this project is to form a partnership linking the health impacts of Haskap varieties and management practices that maximize health-promoting compounds to benefit both consumers and producers. Specific objectives of this study are to determine 1) the impact of Haskap on the gut microbiome and metabolome, 2) how gut microbiome composition and production of bioactive metabolites from Haskap impacts health and inflammation biomarkers, and 3) which Haskap varieties and growing practices increase production of health-promoting compounds.

To accomplish this, a four-armed, randomized, triple-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of Haskap versus placebo for two separate groups with distinctly low and high metabolic syndrome status will be completed. Participants will be assessed for health biometrics, fat oxidation, gut microbiome composition, inflammation, and both the gut and serum metabolome before and after 8 weeks of intervention. Haskap fruit from twenty varieties will primarily come from the randomized block design field trial and fruit will be harvested at four stages of fruit maturity, then analyzed for polyphenol content. This part of the study will be replicated over three growing seasons.