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Epilactose is a disaccharide composed of galactose and mannose, and it is currently considered an "under development" prebiotic. In this study, we described the prebiotic potential of epilactose by in vitro fermentation using human fecal inocula from individuals following a Mediterranean diet (DM) or a Vegan diet (DV). The prebiotic effect of epilactose was also compared with lactulose and raffinose, and interesting correlations were established between metabolites and microbiota modulation. The production of several metabolites (lactate, short-chain fatty acids, and gases) confirmed the prebiotic properties of epilactose. For both donors, the microbiota analysis showed that epilactose significantly stimulated the butyrate-producing bacteria, suggesting that its prebiotic effect could be independent of the donor diet. Butyrate is one of the current golden metabolites due to its benefits for the gut and systemic health. In the presence of epilactose, the production of butyrate was 70- and 63-fold higher for the DM donor, when compared to lactulose and raffinose, respectively. For the DV donor, an increase of 29- and 89-fold in the butyrate production was obtained when compared to lactulose and raffinose, respectively. In conclusion, this study suggests that epilactose holds potential functional properties for human health, especially towards the modulation of butyrate-producing strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation of pastry products towards higher nutritional and commercial value remains a challenge to the growing field of healthy food. In this study, the prebiotic supplementation and sugar reduction were explored in a widely consumed pastry product with a low level of innovation. The prebiotic potential of commercial agave inulin and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) was evaluated and compared by an in vitro model using human fecal inocula. Rice muffins containing 100% of sugar or 75% of sugar supplemented with 0.8% GOS were produced and compared with commercial rice muffins regarding their physical and textural properties. GOS fermentation led to the highest production of lactate and short-chain fatty acids, besides the most significant reduction of the final pH value and of the ammonia and methane production. Inulin presented a higher selectivity towards Lactobacillaceae (51 ± 1% of all), while GOS are more efficient to stimulate Bifidobacteriaceae growth (65 ± 7% of all). Both prebiotics were effective in reducing Methanobacteria. The reduction of sugar content modified the air bubbles characteristics (size and population with a greater number of tunnels) present in the muffin crumb, without relevant differences in apparent porosity. Textural results indicated that springiness and resilience of the muffin with low sugar content are acceptable, but hardness and chewiness were increased. The new-formula muffins presented very relevant textural parameters with comparable values to those reported in the literature for the commercial ones, thus anticipating a good consumer acceptance. This study is an important contribution towards more innovative and diversified healthy pastry products. [Display omitted] • The in vitro fermentation of inulin and GOS was evaluated using human fecal inocula. • GOS led to the highest bifidogenic effect and production of SCFA and gases. • Both prebiotics were effective in reducing Methanobacteria and Proteobacteria. • Rice muffins formulated with GOS and sugar reduction were produced. • Sugar reduction did not alter significantly springiness and resilience of the cakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydrolysates containing XOS were obtained by different enzymatic approaches. • Different approaches resulted in XOS with distinct sizes, linkages, and branches. • The hydrolysates showed distinct TFC and FVC amounts and antioxidant properties. • The fermentation of hydrolysates increased SCFAs and gases production. • The relative abundance of beneficial microbiota increased in presence of hydrolysates. This study explores the structural characterization, antioxidant and prebiotic activities of hydrolysates containing xylooligosaccharides (XOS) produced by different strategies: direct fermentation of beechwood xylan (FermBX) and enzymatic treatment of beechwood (EnzBX) and rice husk (EnzRH) xylans. EnzBX and EnzRH showed XOS with a backbone of (1 → 4)-linked-xylopyranosyl residues and branches of arabinose, galactose, and uronic acids. FermBX presented the highest content of total phenolic compounds (14 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (0.6 mg QE/g), which may contribute to its antioxidant capacity –39.1 μmol TE/g (DPPH), 45.7 μmol TE/g (ABTS), and 79.9 μmol Fe II/g (FRAP). The fermentation of hydrolysates decreased the abundance of microorganisms associated with intestinal diseases from Eubacteriales , Desulfovibrionales and Methanobacteriales orders, while stimulating the growth of organisms belonging to Bacteroides , Megamonas and Limosilactobacillus genera. The production of short-chain fatty acids, ammonia, and CO 2 suggested the prebiotic potential. In conclusion, hydrolysates without previous purification and obtained from non-chemical approaches demonstrated promising biological activities for further food applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until now the prebiotic potential of pure trisaccharide raffinose on human health assessed through high-throughput sequencing remains poorly investigated. In this work, an in vitro model using human fecal inocula of two healthy volunteers (D1 and D2) was used to study the prebiotic potential of raffinose and compare it with the well-stablished and commercial prebiotic lactulose. The intestinal microbiota showed preference for raffinose as substrate showing the highest consumption value at 48 h (96.0 ± 0.9% D1 and 95.3 ± 0.7% D2). The fermentation of raffinose decreased the medium pH, the ammonia concentration and the relative amount of Proteobacteria , while increasing the total production of lactate and short chain fatty acids (129.9 ± 2.6 mmol/L D1 and 179.6 ± 0.6 mmol/L D2), CO 2 (10.8 ± 0.8 mmol/L medium D1 and 5.2 ± 0.3 mmol/L medium D2) and the relative amount of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. This study suggests that raffinose holds potential functional properties for human health. Image 1 • The fermentation of raffinose increased lactate, SCFAs and gases production. • Acetate was the main SCFAs accumulated after 48 h of fermentation. • Raffinose addition led to a reduction of the ammonia content and the final pH. • Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus relative abundance increased with rafffinose. • Raffinose presents potential functional properties for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The fermentation of XOS and lactulose increased SCFAs and gases production. • The highest concentration of butyrate and CO2 was obtained for XOS. • Both substrates led to a reduction in the ammonia concentration and final pH. • The relative abundance of Bacteroides increased with the addition of XOS. • XOS present potential functional properties for human health. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are emergent prebiotics exhibiting high potential as food ingredients. In this work, in vitro studies were performed using human fecal inocula from two healthy donors (D 1 and D2) to evaluate the prebiotic effect of commercial lactulose and XOS produced in a single-step by recombinant Bacillus subtilis 3610. The fermentation of lactulose led to the highest production of lactate (D1: 33.7 ± 0.5 mM; D2:19.7 ± 0.3 mM) and acetate (D1: 77.5 ± 0.6 mM; D2: 81.0 ± 0.7 mM), while XOS led to the highest production of butyrate (D1: 9.0 ± 0.6 mM; D2: 10.5 ± 0.8 mM) and CO 2 (D1: 8.92 ± 0.02 mM; D2: 11.4 ± 0.3 mM). Microbiota analysis showed a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria for both substrates and an increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for lactulose, and Bacteroides for XOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]