Abstract:The ameliorative effect of freeze-dried hawthorn fruit with added dietary fiber (mass ratio 9:1) on mouse intestinal health was investigated. The mice were divided into 4 groups: one blank control group and three dose groups given 1, 2, and 4 g/(kg?d) of hawthorn fruit with 10% dietary fiber. After intragastric gavage for 6 weeks, fresh feces were collected for three consecutive days before the end of the trial, and the weight, moisture content, pH, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content of the feces were measured. At the end of the trial, the body weight of the mice was measured after overnight fasting. The mice were then sacrificed, and the caecum was separated from the colon and weighed. The cecum and colon contents were extracted, and their pH and SCFA content were measured. The counts of Bifidobacterium, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium perfringens in the cecum and colon contents were determined. Compared with the control group, the test indices for all three dose groups showed significant differences (p<0.05). The results showed that adding 10% hawthorn dietary fiber to the freeze-dried hawthorn fruit could improve the intestinal environment and health of mice.
