Title
Galacto-Oligosaccharides Have Prebiotic Activity in a Dynamic In Vitro Colon Model Using a C-Labeling Technique
Author
Maathuis, A.J.H.
van den Heuvel, E.G.
Schoterman, M.H.C.
Venema, K.
Publication year
2012
Abstract
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are considered to be prebiotic, although the contribution of specific members of the microbiota to GOS fermentation and the exact microbial metabolites that are produced upon GOS fermentation are largely unknown. We aimed to determine this using uniformly 13C-labeled GOS. The normal (control) medium and unlabeled or 13C-labeled GOS was added to a dynamic, validated, in vitro model of the large-intestine containing an adult-type microbiota. Liquid-chromatography MS was used to measure the incorporation of 13C label into metabolites. 16S-rRNA stable isotope probing coupled to a phylogenetic micro-array was used to determine label incorporation in microbial biomass. The primary members within the complex microbiota that were directly involved in GOS fermentation were shown to be Bifidobacterium longum, B. bifidum, B. catenulatum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and L. salivarius, in line with the prebiotic effect of GOS, although some other species incorporated 13C label also. GOS fermentation led to an increase in acetate (+49%) and lactate (+23%) compared with the control. Total organic acid production was 8.50 and 7.52 mmol/g of carbohydrate fed for the GOS and control experiments, respectively. At the same time, the cumulative production of putrefactive metabolites (branched-chain fatty acids and ammonia) was reduced by 55%. Cross-feeding of metabolites from primary GOS fermenters to other members of the microbiota was observed. Our findings support a prebiotic role for GOS and its potential to act as a synbiotic in combination with certain probiotic strains.
Subject
Life
PHS - Pharmacokinetics & Human Studies
EELS - Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences
Healthy for Life
Pharmacology
Healthy Living
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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ef254308-8992-4e96-a350-63e2de13712c
TNO identifier
460404
Source
Journal of Nutrition, 142 (7), 1205-1212
Document type
article