Date of Award:

5-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Taylor Oberg

Committee

Taylor Oberg

Committee

Robert Ward

Committee

Korry Hintze

Abstract

Western dietary patterns are characterized by nutrient-poor, calorie-rich diets and have been linked to poor health outcomes and gut inflammation phenotypes. Probiotics are often taken to support gut health, but many beneficial bacteria do not survive transport through the digestive system to produce any effect. Spore-forming bacteria, such as Bacillus coagulans, are more resilient due to their hardy outer coat which aids in survival through many obstacles encountered in the gastrointestinal tract, including acidic stomach conditions. In research studies, probiotics are usually given to mice through a procedure called oral gavage, where a tube is used to deliver the bacteria in a liquid solution directly to the stomach. Although effective, gavage can be stressful and even harmful for the animals.

This project tested a less invasive alternative: delivering B. coagulans spores in prepared freeze-dried cereal puff capsules that mice can eat on their own. Mice were fed the total Western diet (TWD) for four weeks and received probiotics either by gavage or by the cereal-puff method. Throughout the study, we monitored their weight, food intake, gut health, and the presence of the probiotic in their digestive system.

The gavage method caused significant stress and health problems, including weight loss, inflammation, and higher mortality, forcing that group to be stopped early. In contrast, mice that received the probiotic in cereal puffs remained healthy and completed the full study. These mice maintained their weight better, showed lower signs of gut inflammation, produced higher levels of beneficial fatty acids, and modulated the gut microbiome. Importantly, the probiotic successfully survived and grew in their digestive tract, confirming that the cereal-based method delivered the bacteria effectively.

Overall, this study shows that probiotic-filled cereal puffs are a safe, effective, and animal-friendly alternative to repeated gavage. This approach may improve the quality of diet-induced stress models and reduce strain on animals used in probiotic studies.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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