Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Frontiers in Microbiology
ISSN
1664-302X
Volume
10
PubMed ID
31316490
Publisher
Frontiers
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
29131
Funders
This study was supported by the Flinders University Small Grant Scheme (Grant ID 466). GR was supported by a Matthew Flinders Research Fellowship and a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Research Fellowship (Grant number ).
Grant Number
NHMRC Number : 1155179
Abstract
In Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), weaning is associated with environmentally acquired and inflammation-associated enteric disorders. Dietary intake of high amylose maize starch (HAMS) can promote commensal fermentative bacteria and drive the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). By stabilizing commensal gut microbiology, and stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory metabolites, HAMS supplementation might therefore influence enteric health. However, the extent to which the gut microbiota of LMIC infants are capable of fermenting HAMS is unclear. We assessed the capacity of the fecal microbiota from pre-weaning and weaning Malawian infants to ferment HAMS and produce SCFAs using an in vitro fermentation model. Fecal microbiota from both pre-weaning and weaning infants were able to ferment HAMS, as indicated by an increase in bacterial load and total SCFA concentration, and a reduction in pH. All of these changes were more substantial in the weaning group. Acetate production was observed with both pre-weaning and weaning groups, while propionate production was only observed in the weaning group. HAMS fermentation resulted in significant alterations to the fecal microbial community in the weaning group, with significant increases in levels of Prevotella, Veillonella, and Collinsella associated with propionate production. In conclusion, fecal microbiota from Malawian infants before and during weaning has the capacity to produce acetate through HAMS fermentation, with propionate biosynthetic capability appearing only at weaning. Our results suggest that HAMS supplementation might provide benefit to infants during weaning.
DOI
10.3389/fmicb.2019.01459
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Wang, Y., Mortimer, E. K., Katundu, K. G., Kalanga, N., Leong, L. E., Gopalsamy, G. L., ... Rogers, G. B., (2019). The capacity of the faecal microbiota from Malawian infants to ferment resistant starch. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10, Article 1459. Available here