Short-chain fatty acid formation in the hindgut of rats fed oligosaccharides varying in monomeric composition, degree of polymerisation and solubility

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 94; no. 5; pp. 705 - 713
• Main Authors: Nilsson, Ulf, Nyman, Margareta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.11.2005
• Subjects: Acetic Acid; Acetic Acid - analysis; administration & dosage; analysis; anatomy & histology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Butyric Acid; Butyric Acid - analysis; Carbohydrates; Carboxylic Acids; Carboxylic Acids - analysis; Cecum; Cecum - anatomy & histology; Cecum - physiology; chemistry; Colon; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; Dietary Carbohydrates - metabolism; digestibility; Eating; Eating - physiology; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Fatty Acids, Volatile - analysis; Fatty Acids, Volatile - metabolism; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fermentation; Fructo-oligosaccharides; fructooligosaccharides; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Tract; Gastrointestinal Tract - metabolism; health foods; Health Sciences; hindgut; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hälsovetenskap; Lactitol; Lactulose; Lactulose - administration & dosage; Lactulose - metabolism; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; metabolism; Nutrition; Nutrition and Dietetics; Näringslära; Näringslära och dietkunskap; Oligosaccharides; Oligosaccharides - administration & dosage; Oligosaccharides - chemistry; Oligosaccharides - metabolism; physiology; polymerization; Polymers; prebiotics; Propionates; Propionates - analysis; Rats; Rats, Wistar; rumen fermentation; Short-chain fatty acids; Solubility; Sugar Alcohols; Sugar Alcohols - administration & dosage; Sugar Alcohols - metabolism; Sweetening Agents; Sweetening Agents - administration & dosage; Sweetening Agents - metabolism; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; water solubility; Weight Gain; Weight Gain - physiology; Short-chain fatty acids; Fructo-oligosaccharides; Lactulose; Lactitol; Short chain; Rat; Oligosaccharide; Rodentia; Solubility; Polymerization; Lipids; Fatty acids; Feeding; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Short-chain fatty acids: Fructo-oligosaccharides: Lactulose: Lactitol; Animal
• DOI: 10.1079/BJN20051531
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662

The contents of short-chain fatty acids were investigated in rats fed lactitol, lactulose and four fructo-oligosaccharides of different degree of polymerisation and solubility. Fructo-oligosaccharides with a low degree of polymerisation (2–8) generated the highest levels of butyric acid all along the hindgut, whereas fructo-oligosaccharides with a high degree of polymerisation (10–60) generated the highest levels of propionic acid. These specific differences were also generally reflected in the caecal pools and molar proportions of short-chain fatty acids. The lower solubility of the fructo-oligosaccharides was related to a lower degree of caecal fermentation. Lactulose and lactitol yielded high proportions of acetic acid and low proportions of butyric acid. It is concluded that both the degree of polymerisation and the solubility may affect short-chain fatty acid formation, whereas the fructose content per se seem to be of less importance. This may be of interest when designing foods with specific health effects.