Abstract: Ferulic acid (FA), the most abundant phenolic acid in cereals, widely exists in both free and bound forms in grains, legumes and other plant-based foods. FA has various functional activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, thus exhibiting high application values in the fields of food and medicine. To date, although a large number of in vivo and in vitro experiments have shown the importance of cereal FA in maintaining intestinal health, it is still unclear how FA is metabolized by the gut microbiota. In order to offer new insights into the molecular mechanism of the regulatory effect of FA the gut microbiota and offer a theoretical reference for better development and utilization of cereal FA and its metabolites, this paper provides a systematic review of the recent literature concerning intestinal microbial metabolism of cereal FA from three aspects of the existing forms, intestinal release and metabolism, and physiological health effects.

Key words: ferulic acid; existing forms; intestinal metabolism; metabolites; health effects