When simplicity triumphs: niche specialization of gut bacteria exists even for simple fiber structures.

Structurally complex corn bran arabinoxylan (CAX) was used as a model glycan to investigate gut bacteria growth and competition on different AX-based fine structures. Nine hydrolyzate segments of the CAX polymer varying in chemical structure (sugars and linkages), CAX, five less complex non-corn arabinoxylans, and xylose and glucose were ranked from structurally complex to simple. The substrate panel promoted different overall growth and rates of growth of eight xylan-degrading strains.

Differences in fine arabinoxylan structures govern microbial selection and competition among human gut microbiota.

Dietary fibers are known to modulate microbiome composition, but it is unclear to what extent minor fiber structural differences impact community assembly, microbial division of labor, and organismal metabolic responses. To test the hypothesis that fine linkage variations afford different ecological niches for distinct communities and metabolism, we employed a 7-day in vitro sequential batch fecal fermentation with four fecal inocula and measured responses using an integrated multi-omics approach. Two sorghum arabinoxylans (SAXs) were fermented, with one (RSAX) having slightly more complex branch linkages than the other (WSAX).

Micronutrient Profile and Carbohydrate Microstructure of Commercially Prepared and Home Prepared Infant Fruit and Vegetable Purees.

Large variability exists in ingredient selection and preparation of home prepared infant purees and there is a lack of data on nutritional quality in comparison to commercially prepared purees. This work had two aims. Study 1 compared the nutritional value of commercially prepared and home prepared infant purees.

Corn arabinoxylan has a repeating structure of subunits of high branch complexity with slow gut microbiota fermentation.

Corn arabinoxylan (CAX), a cell wall-derived dietary fiber, was extracted with alkali, partially purified, and treated with hydrolytic enzymes in order to investigate the relationship of fine structure and fermentability by the human gut microbiota. Glycosyl composition and linkage analysis of CAX and two hydrolysates, coupled with molecular size analysis, indicated an organized structural feature of the native polymer, which consists of a repeating structural subunit containing complex branching patterns along the xylan backbone and flanked by regions of less complexity. The two lengths of the highly branched subunit were isolated and were shown to have enhanced slow fermentation property compared to the native structure (3.

Comparative Study on Kernel Quality and Chemical Composition of Ancient and Modern Wheat Species: Einkorn, Emmer, Spelt and Hard Red Spring Wheat.

Hulled wheat species are often used as whole grains in processing, and have been attracting attention in the last 20 years in the food industry. Whole wheat flour of hulled wheat can be used in the food industry for value addition. This study was conducted to evaluate the kernel quality and chemical composition of the whole grain flour of hulled wheats as a preliminary approach to use these species for value addition.