Review

Effects of Dietary Fibers on Human Colonic Microbiota in Simulated in vitro Fermentation System

Daisuke SASAKI11,Kengo SASAKI1,Akihiko KONDO1,Ro OSAWA2,3,*

1Graduate School of Science,Technology and Innovation,Kobe University
2Department of Bioresource Science,Graduate School of Agricultural Science,Kobe University
3Research Center for Food Safety and Security,Graduate School of Agricultural Science,Kobe University

Prebiotics are ingredients that are selectively fermented and that benefit the host by altering the composition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Prebiotics,including dietary fibers,remain undigested in the human stomach or small intestine and enter the colon,where they are fermented by the colonic microbiota. In recent years,it has been reported that the gastrointestinal microbiota closely interacts with the host intestinal epithelial cells,thereby playing an important role in maintaining the systemic homeostasis in the host. Furthermore,the system of “Foods with Function Claims” has been practiced in Japan since 2015,and with the increase in health consciousness,prebiotics are gaining immense attention. The safety and functional activity of prebiotics on host health have been generally assessed in human intervention or animal feeding tests; however,the cost of such studies and the associated ethical issues remain a concern. Therefore,an in vitro culture system that simulates the human gastrointestinal environment and/or microbiota has been developed. Although the structural changes in the microbiota have been previously recognized as a major factor,at present it is essential to detect the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the microbiota to understand the interaction between the colonic microbiota and host. In this review,we discuss the pioneering in vitro culture systems of human gastrointestinal microbiota,and especially shows the assessment study of dietary fibers using an in vitro culture model reflecting on the actual microbial diversity and SCFAs composition.
Keywords: in vitro culture system,human colon,microbiota,dietary fiber,SCFAs

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