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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Dairy and Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398280
Research Project: In vitro Human Gut System: Interactions Between Diet, Food Processing, and Microbiota

Location: Dairy and Functional Foods Research

Title: Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) differentially modifies the in vitro gut microbiota in an age-dependent manner.

Author
item Mahalak, Karley
item Firrman, Jenni
item Narrowe, Adrienne
item HU, WEIMING - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item BITTINGER, KYLE - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item MOUSTAFA, AHMED - The Children'S Hospital Of Philadelphia
item Liu, Linshu

Submitted to: Frontiers in Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2022
Publication Date: 1/12/2023
Citation: Mahalak, K.K., Firrman, J., Narrowe, A.B., Hu, W., Bittinger, K., Moustafa, A., Liu, L.S. 2023. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) differentially modifies the in vitro gut microbiota in an age-dependent manner. Frontiers in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1058910.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1058910

Interpretive Summary: Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotics that are digested by the bacterial communities that colonize the gut (large intestine) and are linked to health benefits such as lowered obesity and anti-inflammatory properties. However, healthy bacterial communities change with aging, and current research is lacking on the ability of prebiotics to continue to provide the same health benefits or different responses due to age. To address this, we treated in vitro gut bacterial communities with prebiotic FOS for 24 hours with starting material from 3 different adult age groups: young adult, adult, and older adult. We found that age is an important factor in the changes associated with FOS addition and that FOS addition increases the population of certain key bacterial species.

Technical Abstract: Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are well-known prebiotics that promote healthy gut microbiota and have been previously demonstrated to enhance levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Their bifidogenic properties are associated with positive health outcomes such as lowered obesity and anti-inflammatory properties, and FOS, therefore, is in use as a supplement to support healthy gut microbiota. However, the gut microbiota changes with age, which may lead to different responses to treatments with prebiotics and other dietary supplements. To address this concern, we implemented a 24-hour in vitro culturing method to determine whether FOS, from chicory root, treatment in 3 different adult age groups would have a differential effect. The age groups of interest ranged from 25-70 years of age and were split into young adults, adults, and elder adults for the purposes of this analysis. The cultured communities were subject to 16s rRNA sequencing to determine the structure and LC-MS/MS analysis to measure short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, which are an indicator of community function. qPCR analysis targeting Bifidobacterium was applied to measure the enhancing effect of FOS on this taxon. The results of this study demonstrate the positive effects of FOS on the gut microbiome, and importantly, how age may play a role in the effectiveness of this prebiotic.