Effect of an oat cookie enriched with bean flour biotransformed by Pleurotus ostreatus on nutritional and inflammatory status in male CD-1 mice

Introduction – Metabolic alterations associated with obesogenic diets are closely linked to chronic low-grade inflammation, highlighting the need for functional foods that can complement conventional dietary strategies. This study evaluated whether an oat cookie enriched with bean flour biotransformed by Pleurotus ostreatus modulated metabolic, tissue, and inflammatory parameters in male CD-1 mice under standard, hypercaloric, and dietary-reversal conditions. Methods – Forty-five male CD-1 mice were allocated to nine groups (n = 5 per group) according to a metabolic alteration phase and a supplementation phase. During Phase 1, mice received either a standard diet (STD) or a hypercaloric diet (HYP) for 12 weeks without cookie supplementation. During Phase 2, mice either continued their original diet or transitioned from the hypercaloric to the standard diet (HYPSTD) and received a biotransformed cookie (B), a compositionally comparable non-biotransformed cookie (NB), or no cookie (CF) for 8 weeks. Results – During the first phase, no significant differences were detected in body weight, fasting glucose, triglycerides, or glucose tolerance, although HYP mice consumed more lipids and energy. During the supplementation phase, STD B mice exhibited lower liver- and adipose-tissue-to-body-weight ratios than STD CF mice (p < 0.05). In HYP mice, both cookie-supplemented groups showed lower serum interleukin-6 concentrations than the CF group (p < 0.05). Within the HYPSTD condition, B mice maintained a lower body weight than CF mice from weeks 12–20 (p < 0.05), while IL-6 concentrations were lower in B than in NB mice (p < 0.005). Glucose concentration at 15 min during the OGTT was positively correlated with final body weight, and IL-6 was inversely correlated with IL-10. Discussion – Unlike previous studies focused primarily on ingredient characterization or isolated bioactive compounds, this study evaluated the effects of an oat cookie enriched with P. ostreatus-biotransformed bean flour on metabolic, tissue, and inflammatory outcomes in male CD-1 mice under standard, hypercaloric, and dietary-reversal conditions. These findings suggest that P. ostreatus-biotransformed bean flour has potential as a functional ingredient for bakery products and may modulate selected tissue and inflammatory outcomes.