Impact of orange juice containing potentially prebiotic ingredients on human gut microbiota composition and its metabolites

Orange juice containing oligosaccharides and dextran was assessed, after in vitro digestion, in a fermentative system with fecal microbiota from two donors (A and B) in anaerobiosis (37 degrees C/48 h). Microbiota analysis was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and HPLC quantified the metabolites. Oligosaccharides and dextran were resistant to digestion and were consumed during colonic fermentation. Lactate and acetate were the main metabolites, followed by butyrate, propionate, and isobutyrate. High propionate accumulation and fast consumption of oligosaccharides were observed for donor B. Lactobacillus ruminis (44.96 %) presented an increased relative abundance for donor A. Bifidobacterium adolescentis (41.73 %) was remarkable for donor B after fermentation. In addition, the functional orange juice promoted the growth of emerging probiotics such as Bacteroides xylanisolvens and reduced some strains, such as Clostridia sp. Thus, the potentially prebiotic orange juice enhances gut microbiota composition and might be a suitable product for the functional food market.

Automated summary

This study assessed the digestion and fermentation of orange juice containing oligosaccharides and dextran. The results showed that oligosaccharides and dextran were resistant to digestion and the main metabolites produced during colonic fermentation were lactate and acetate. The orange juice also promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.