Marco Lab

ISAPP’s scientific consensus definition of gut health - International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) Gut health is a commonly used term that previously had no scientific definition. In the paper, the group defines gut health as: “a state of normal gastrointestinal function without active gastrointest...

This podcast gives you in the inside scoop on ISAPP's recently published scientific consensus definition of gut health! Hear from the 2 lead authors about the 6 domains of gut health and what the definition means for future study design.

isappscience.org/resource/epi...

We’re very excited to welcome Dr. Barry (Jingzhang) Feng as the newest postdoctoral fellow in our group! ✨🎉
Barry has a background in food safety. Barry will contribute to the EATLAC project, focusing on enhancing the health benefits and improving the safety of fermented foods.
#MarcoLab #EATLAC

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of gut health Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Published online: 18 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41575-026-01176-xThis Consensus Statement provides a definition of the term ‘gut health’, as well as a discussion of the relevant domains that contribute to gut health and a framework for appropriate use of the term in the context of therapeutic interventions.

New online! The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of gut health

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of gut health - Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology This Consensus Statement provides a definition of the term ‘gut health’, as well as a discussion of the relevant domains that contribute to gut health and a framework for appropriate use of the term i...

Excited to share our latest publication! 🎉
This consensus statement, led by @isappscience.bsky.social, establishes an evidence-based definition of gut health relevant to clinical practice & dietary & biotic interventions.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#GutHealth #Microbiome #ISAPP #DigestiveHealth

We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Vi Pham as the newest postdoctoral fellow in our group! 🎉
Vi has an exciting background in food fermentation and lactic acid bacteria metabolism, and is interested in integrating microbial genomics and metabolites to investigate health implications.

Excited to welcome Caterina Nicolotti, a Food Science PhD student from the University of Parma, Italy, joining us as a visiting student for the next six months!! 🎓✨
Caterina is interested in characterizing probiotic strains and studying their effects using intestinal epithelial cell models.

Impact of Fermented Dairy on Gastrointestinal Health and Associated Biomarkers Abstract. In this narrative review, we examined observational and randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of fermented dairy foods, includin

Checkout our latest publication..! 🎊
Comprehensive review of studies assessing the effects of fermented dairy foods on gut health of adults & children...now published at
academic.oup.com/nutritionrev...
Congratulations to Glory Bui and Prof. Marco 🎉
#Probiotics #Guthealth #FermentedFoods #Dairy

This review explores the incredible diversity, functions, and impact of lactobacilli across fermented foods, probiotics, and host interactions. From metabolic versatility to immune modulation, these microbes do more than we ever imagined!
#Lactobacillus #Nutrition #Probiotics #HostMicrobeInteraction

Lactobacilli biology, applications and host interactions - Nature Reviews Microbiology Lactobacilli are important members of human, animal and insect microbiomes and are prominent in food fermentations. In this Review, Mejía-Caballero and Marco explore the diversity of lactobacilli, foc...

Super excited to announce our new Review! 🥁
Lactobacilli biology, applications, and host interactions shorturl.at/pF31b
Congratulations to @alejandramejia.bsky.social & Prof. Marco! 🎉
Lactobacilli are everywhere, in our food, gut, & now at the center of exciting opportunities in health & nutrition

Lactobacilli biology, applications and host interactions Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 23 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01205-7Lactobacilli are important members of human, animal and insect microbiomes and are prominent in food fermentations. In this Review, Mejía-Caballero and Marco explore the diversity of lactobacilli, focusing on their fundamental traits and their applications in foods and medicine.

New online! Lactobacilli biology, applications and host interactions

How to respond to the question “Should I take a probiotic?” - International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) Two experts explain the science of probiotics and how to answer the question of whether you should take a probiotic.

"Should I take a probiotic?" is a common question that clinicians receive. Here's an answer that's based on the latest science.
isappscience.org/how-to-respo...

The Gut Health Benefits of Sauerkraut A new UC Davis study suggests that sauerkraut could help protect your gut, an essential part of overall health.

Keep calm and eat your (fermented) veggies! www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/gu...

The study found that sauerkraut, whether store-bought or prepared at a laboratory scale, exerts intestinal barrier protective effects, likely mediated by fermentation-derived metabolome – further research to study contribution of specific metabolites on intestinal barrier function is needed

The fermented cabbage metabolome and its protection against cytokine-induced intestinal barrier disruption of Caco-2 monolayers | Applied and Environmental Microbiology Fermented vegetables are increasingly associated with health benefits. However, the importance of microbial transformations to foods during the fermentation process remains to be determined. We found ...

Thrilled to share our new publication (journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...) examining whether fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) can protect intestinal barrier from inflammation-induced disruptions! #Gut Health #Fermented Foods #LAB #GutHeath #Probiotics

Congratulations 🎉 to Mackenzie Carter on the Sherman Leonard Memorial Award by the Food science and Technology department @ucdavis.bsky.social
The fellowship is awarded to Food science students in the memory of Sherman Leonard for his devoted work in preservation & improvement of perishable foods !

FST Professor Maria Marco Elected to the American Academy of Microbiology Maria Marco, microbiologist and professor with the Department of Food Science and Technology, has been elected to the 2025 class of fellows for the American Academy of Microbiology. Marco has been wit...

Maria joins the ranks of the other fellows in the American Academy of Microbiology! caes.ucdavis.edu/news/fst-pro...

Excited to announce that our undergraduate, Sahana Mohan, received the Provost Undergraduate Fellowship by @ucdavis.bsky.social 🎉, as a support for her research in our lab. Sahana's project will focus on exploring diversity of #LacticAcidBacteria in Indian fermented lentils

#FermentedFoods #UCDavis

Thrilled to share our new review article on the health promoting effects of lacto-ferments & bioactive constituents –underlining that consuming safely prepared lacto-ferments serves as a promising strategy to improve & sustain human health
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
#FermentedFoods #Microbes #Guthealth

Prof. Marco & Dr. Lei Wei spoke about beneficial microbes in fermented foods, impact of diet in efficacy of #Probiotics, effects of fermented vegetables on gut barrier integrity & outreach efforts to promote probiotic foods, at UC Davis FST 10th Annual Symposium
#Fermentedfoods #Guthealth #Marcolab

Hello from the Marco Lab!

We are a group of researchers from UC Davis. Our lab focuses on the host-microbe interactions of lactic acid bacteria & investigating their roles in determining food safety, food quality & gut health.
Check out our website!!! marcolab.ucdavis.edu