Reference Number: 511
Year: 2020
Link: Link to original paper
Health: Gut Microbiome - Creating Healthier Bread to Support Optimal Gut Health
Nutrition: Fibre | Prebiotic | Probiotic | Short chain fatty acids
Yeast: Species
Inclusions: Dairy>Milk
Summary
Background: This study evaluated the impact of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis CNCM I-3446, Bovine Milk-derived OligoSaccharides (BMOS) and their combination on infant gut microbiota
in vitro. In addition, a novel strategy consisting of preculturing B. lactis with BMOS to further enhance their potential synbiotic effects was assessed.
Method: Short-term fecal batch fermentations (48 h) were used to assess the microbial composition and activity modulated by BMOS alone, B. lactis grown on BMOS or dextrose alone, or their combinations on different three-month-old infant microbiota.
Results: BMOS alone significantly induced acetate and lactate production (leading to pH decrease) and stimulated bifidobacterial growth in 10 donors. A further in-depth study on two different
donors proved B. lactis ability to colonize the infant microbiota, regardless of the competitiveness of the environment. BMOS further enhanced this engraftment, suggesting a strong synbiotic effect. This was also observed at the microbiota activity level, especially in a donor containing low initial levels of bifidobacteria. In this donor, preculturing B. lactis with BMOS strengthened further the early modulation of microbiota activity observed after 6 h.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated the strong synbiotic effect of BMOS and B. lactis on the infant gut microbiota, and suggests a strategy to improve its effectiveness in an otherwise low-Bifidobacterium microbiota.
Significance of this study to the baker:
Synbiotic is used here to describe the presence of a prebiotic and a probiotic. Breast milk if found to contain this probiotic strain, and this strain appears to thrive off the oligosaccharides in the milk. Therefore, whether we were breast fed or not, we can still maintain healthy levels of this beneficial microbe by eating in symbiosis, such as spreading our cultured butter on our sourdough bread. This study shows it could be as simple as that!