Influence of Glycosidic Linkages and Molecular Weight on the Fermentation of Maltose-Based Oligosaccharides by Human Gut Bacteria

A structure−function study was carried out to increase knowledge of how glycosidic linkages and molecular weights of carbohydrates contribute toward the selectivity of fermentation by gut bacteria. Oligosaccharides with maltose as the common carbohydrate source were used. Potentially prebiotic alter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2006-12, Vol.54 (26), p.9779-9784
Main Authors: Sanz, María Luz, Côté, Gregory L, Gibson, Glenn R, Rastall, Robert A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bacteria
Bacteria - growth & development
Bifidobacteriaceae
Biological and medical sciences
carbohydrate metabolism
carbohydrate structure
degree of polymerization
Feces - microbiology
Fermentation
Fish and seafood industries
Food industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Glycosides - chemistry
Humans
intestinal microorganisms
Intestines - microbiology
maltooligosaccharides
maltose
Maltose - analysis
Maltose - chemistry
Molecular Weight
oligosaccharides
Oligosaccharides - chemistry
Oligosaccharides - metabolism
Polymers - chemistry
prebiotics
Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
Structure-Activity Relationship
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Summary:A structure−function study was carried out to increase knowledge of how glycosidic linkages and molecular weights of carbohydrates contribute toward the selectivity of fermentation by gut bacteria. Oligosaccharides with maltose as the common carbohydrate source were used. Potentially prebiotic alternansucrase and dextransucrase maltose acceptor products were synthesized and separated into different molecular weights using a Bio-gel P2 column. These fractions were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight. Nonprebiotic maltooligosaccharides with degrees of polymerization (DP) from three to seven were commercially obtained for comparison. Growth selectivity of fecal bacteria on these oligosaccharides was studied using an anaerobic in vitro fermentation method. In general, carbohydrates of DP3 showed the highest selectivity towards bifidobacteria; however, oligosaccharides with a higher molecular weight (DP6−DP7) also resulted in a selective fermentation. Oligosaccharides with DPs above seven did not promote the growth of “beneficial” bacteria. The knowledge of how specific structures modify the gut microflora could help to find new prebiotic oligosaccharides. Keywords: Maltose-based oligosaccharides; molecular weight; structure−function relationship; gut microflora
ISSN:0021-8561
1520-5118
DOI:10.1021/jf061894v