Abstract: With the rapid development of molecular microbial ecology,especially high- throughput sequencing technology,people have a better understanding of gut microbial communities. Intestinal is more than a place of digestion and absorption of food component,and the gut microbiota inside is even regarded as a highly specialized organ whose metabolic activity has a direct impact on human health. However,direct sampling from human or animal model is complex and contrary to ethics. Thus,in vitro gut fermentation model presents a novel system for relevant research. This paper summarized the advances in in vitro fermentation models and their applications in functional food research,and proposes the forecast combined with the high- throughput sequencing technology,aiming to provide valuable references for in- depth study on gut microorganism and the metabolism of food.