In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics of Oligosaccharides and Beet Pulp by Feline Fecal Bacteria

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2006-03, Vol.20 (4), p.A599-A600
• Main Authors: Kelly, Michelle L., Hussein, Hussein S., Boileau, Thomas W.‐M., Sunvold, Gregory D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.A599-d

The objective was to determine the prebiotic potential of three oligosaccharides (fructooligosaccharides [FOS], galactooligosaccharides [GOS], and lactosucrose) in supporting feline colon health. To achieve that, 240 serum bottles (125 mL each; 192 for the test substrates and 48 for blanks) were used in an in vitro fermentation experiment. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with treatments being arranged as a 4 × 8 factorial. The main factors were four substrates (beet pulp [a standard fiber source in premium feline diets], FOS, GOS, and lactosucrose) and eight incubation times (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 h). Three fecal inocula were prepared from three healthy cats and were used to inoculate the bottles with (0.3 g dry matter each) or without (blanks) substrates. Each bottle contained 27 mL of an anaerobic medium (Sunvold et al., J. Anim. Sci. 73:3639‐3648), was inoculated with 3 mL of the designated inoculum, and was incubated at 39oC. Across incubation times, the extent of dry matter disappearance was higher (P < 0.05) for the three oligosaccharides (averaging 97.5%) than for beet pulp (38.7%). Gas production and lactate concentrations were lowest (P < 0.05) for beet pulp (36.3 mL and 3.7 μg/mL, respectively), intermediate (P < 0.05) for FOS and GOS (averaging 73.5 mL and 32.8 μg/mL, respectively), and highest (P < 0.05) for lactosucrose (83.5 mL and 52.8 μg/mL, respectively). Lactosucrose fermentation produced 14% more gas but 61% more lactate than that of the remaining oligosaccharides. Thus, the results suggest lactosucrose to have the highest potential to positively impact lactate‐producing bacteria in the feline colon as long as gas production is properly controlled.