Abstract:To investigate the effect of different sterilization temperature on the functional properties of bird′s nest,40 7-week-old C57BL/6N male mice were randomly divided into blank control group,dry cubilose group,and stewed bird′s nest groups （bird′s nest sterilized at 95 ℃ and 115 ℃,respectively）.The mice were orally given stewed bird′s nest homogenate for 90 d.By measuring the body composition,energy metabolism,and gut microbiota of mice,this study examined the effect of a stewed bird′s nest on the growth characteristics of mice.The results showed that taking stewed bird′s nest sterilized at 95 ℃ could significantly increase the lean meat rate and decrease the fat content of mice,with no significant effect on the basal metabolism of mice.At the genus level,it could significantly increase the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae in the gut microbiota of mice and reduce the relative abundance of Desulfovibrio.There was a significant correlation between body composition of mice and gut microbiota.The lean meat content of mice was positively correlated with the relative abundance of gut microbiota of mice fed with stewed bird′s nest sterilized at 95 ℃,whereas the fat content of mice was negatively correlated with the relative abundance of gut microbiota of the mice.Stewed bird′s nest sterilized at 95 ℃ could alter the body composition content of mice by regulating their gut microbiota.In summary,stewed bird′s nest sterilized at 95 ℃ could change the body composition content of mice and increase the abundance and diversity of gut microbiota.Besides,it could effectively improve the structure of the gut microbiota of mice.Correlation analysis suggested that the improvement in gut microbiota served as a potential mechanism for regulating body composition.