For a total of 4 weeks, the mice would be treated equally in the conditions of which they live and the contents of that they eat. After 4 weeks, each mouse’s fecal data would be collected and analyzed in terms of pH, weight, and Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria ratio. The pH of the mice’s fecal data is important because it is an easy way to determine if there is a problem with the ratio between the good and bad bacteria in the gut micro biome. In theory, the more alkaline (pH over roughly 6.8) the fecal matter is, the less balance of good and bad bacteria there is in the gut. The pH would be recorded after 12 hours of fasting to get accurate results. It will be measured by the use of universal pH paper and correlated with the scale of 1-14 on the bottle in which it came …show more content…
To measure the acidity and/or alkalinity, the paper would come into contact with the fecal matter immediately after excretion. The weight of the mice would also be measured before the start of the experiment by the use of an appropriate scale that measures in grams. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria ratio would be measured by the use of 16s Ribosomal DNA sequencing analysis. The same excretion that was used for the pH would be used in this analyses to determine the types and amount of bacteria located in the sample. First, a small sample of fecal matter would be inoculated in a saline solution to reduce the concentration and plated on a sterile nutrient agar plate. It will then be incubated at room temperature for 24 hours. Then, it is plated and stained. Fluorescent antibodies are then added to identify the two bacterial colonies, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, with their specific antigens. The Phenol-Chloroform method is used to extract the DNA for the