QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mortensen, P. B. Articles by Rasmussen, H. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mortensen, P. B. Articles by Rasmussen, H. S.

Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production from Mono- and Disaccharides in a Fecal Incubation System: Implications for Colonic Fermentation of Dietary Fiber in Humans¹

Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

An in vitro fecal incubation system was used to demonstrate how lactose, lactulose and monosaccharides (mainly constituents of dietary fiber) influence short-chain fatty acid production in colon. Short-chain fatty acids were formed from all mono- and disaccharides tested (except L-glucose): D-glucose, D-galactose, D-fructose, D-mannose, L-rhamnose, D-sorbitol, D-arabinose, D-xylose, D-ribose, D-galacturonate, D-glucuronate, lactose and lactulose. All saccharides increased acetate formation; propionate production was increased from rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, ribose, galacturonic and glucuronic acid, whereas the synthesis of butyrate was elevated in assays incubated with sorbitol, galacturonic and glucuronic acid, and to a lesser degree ribose. Isobutyrate, valerate, isovalerate and hexanoate were produced in increased amounts in assays incubated with albumin, but in fact decreased in many incubations with saccharides. It is speculated that saccharide fermentation always results in formation of acetate, and that the relative production of acetate, propionate and butyrate is related to the monosaccharide composition of dietary fiber available for colonic bacteria. However, the production of isobutyrate, valerate, isovalerate and hexanoate is probably not due to saccharide fermentation, but is rather of polypeptide origin.

KEY WORDS: • colon • fiber • short-chain fatty acids

¹ This work was supported financially by the Danish Medical Research Council and the Foundation of King Christian the X.

² Address correspondence and reprint requests to Per Brøbech Mortensen, Department of Gastroenterology 233, Hvidovre Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Manuscript received 20 April 1987. Revision accepted 9 November 1987.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. B. Fredstrom, J. W. Lampe, H.-J. G. Jung, and J. L. Slavin Apparent Fiber Digestibility and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acid Concentrations With Ingestion of Two Types of Dietary Fiber JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, January 1, 1994; 18(1): 14 - 19. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. B. Mortensen, M. R. Clausen, H. Bonnen, H. Hove, and K. Holtug Colonic Fermentation of Ispaghula, Wheat Bran, Glucose, and Albumin to Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Ammonia Evaluated in Vitro in 50 Subjects JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, September 1, 1992; 16(5): 433 - 439. [Abstract] [PDF]