Effects of a soluble fiber, with excellent tolerance, NUTRIOSE^® 06, on the gut ecosystem: a review

LEFRANC-MILLOT C. (1), WILS D. (1), NEUT C. (2), SANIEZ-DEGRAVE MH. (1)
• 1 ROQUETTE Frères, F-62080 Lestrem • 2 Faculté des Sciences pharmaceutiques et biologiques, F-59008 Lille


 

Introduction

Soluble dietary fibers reach almost unchanged the colon where they can induce “prebiotic effects”, characterized by:

• an increase in “beneficial bacteria” and/or a decrease in “harmful bacteria”,
• a decrease in intestinal pH,
• production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
• and changes in bacterial enzymes concentrations (Woods and Gorbach, 2001).

NUTRIOSE^® 06, a resistant dextrin, is mostly resistant to digestion in the small intestine and largely fermented in the colon: it is a soluble dietary fiber (Roberfroid 2005).
It also shows an outstanding digestive tolerance, allowing its consumption in amounts fully compatible with beneficial changes in the gut ecosystem, described hereafter.


 

Conclusion

The results presented show that the consumption of 10 g and above per day of NUTRIOSE^® 06 produce positive observable changes in the gut microflora.


 

Bacteria that may ferment NUTRIOSE^® 06 are likely bacteria from the glucidolytic flora. These bacteria are thus increasing in number to the detriment of proteolytic species such as Clostridium perfringens because of the promotion of acidic conditions in the gut. The enzymes produced by the saccharolytic flora are enzymes that can play an ultimate role in the production of end products of interest in terms of colonic health, like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Moreover, NUTRIOSE^® 06 is outstandingly well-tolerated, even at high dosages.


 

According to all these observations, and based on the definition given above, the changes in the colonic environment suggest that NUTRIOSE^® 06 can be considered as a prebiotic.