Evaluation of Enterobacteriaceae shedding and fecal microbiota in lean and obese Ossabaw pigs consuming sorghum kombucha during early weight management

Fermented foods such as kombucha are gaining attention as healthy dietary strategies. Sorghum is a climate-resilient grain with promising characteristics for functional foods and fermentation. This study evaluated the effects of sorghum kombucha intervention on fecal Enterobacteriaceae shedding and microbiota in an obesity intervention model using Ossabaw pigs. Sixteen pigs (8 male, 8 female) were fed diets (standard and western-style diet) to induce lean or obese phenotypes. At week 17, the animals start receiving sorghum kombucha or isocaloric tea (500 mL twice daily). Fecal samples were collected at weeks 17, 21, and 23 and analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae counts and metagenomics. Kombucha supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in Enterobacteriaceae shedding (p < 0.05) in both lean and obese pigs compared with the isocaloric tea group. Shotgun metagenomic profiling identified Treponema, Streptococcus , and Prevotella as dominant genera across treatments and sampling weeks. Beta diversity analysis indicated that diet-induced phenotypic differences and subsequent diet normalization may have exerted a greater influence on microbial community composition than tea treatment (kombucha vs. isocaloric tea). This study provides an initial framework for understanding the potential health benefits of sorghum kombucha consumption.