Xylo-oligosaccharides and lactitol promote the growth of Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus species in pure cultures.

The current screening study aimed at identifying promising prebiotic and synbiotic candidates. The fermentation of xylo-oligosaccharides, xylan, galacto-oligosaccharide, fructo-oligosaccharide, polydextrose, lactitol, gentiobiose and pullulan was investigated in vitro. The ability of these established and potential prebiotic candidates to function as a sole carbon source for probiotic (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus), intestinal and potential pathogenic microbes (Eubacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus) was assessed in pure cultures. Xylo-oligosaccharides were fermented with high specificity by the tested Bifidobacterium lactis strains and lactitol by lactobacilli, whereas galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides and gentiobiose were utilised by a larger group of microbes. Xylan, polydextrose and pullulan were utilised to a limited extent by only a few of the tested microbes. The results of this screening study indicate that xylo-oligosaccharides and lactitol support the growth of a limited number of beneficial microbes in pure cultures. Such a high degree of specificity has not been previously reported for established prebiotics. Based on these results, the most promising prebiotics and synbiotic combinations can be selected for further testing.