Abstract: Ferulic acid (FA), the most abundant phenolic acid in cereals, mostly exists as 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, and thus exerting high application values in the fields of food and medicine. To date, although a large number of in vivo and in vitro experiments have showed the importance of cereal FA in maintaining intestinal health, it is still unclear about how FA can be metabolized by the gut microbiota. In this study, the uptake of cereal FA, the intestinal release and degradation and its physiological health effects are addressed by summarizing the relevant studies on the microbial catabolism of FA. This work aims to provide new insights into the microbial mechanism of FA and its regulatory effects on the gut microbiota, as well as lay the theoretical foundation for better exploiting and utilizing FA and its microbial metabolites.

Key words: ferulic acid, existing forms, microbial metabolism, metabolites, health effects