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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 454-461, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01488-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

In Vitro Kinetic Analysis of Fermentation of Prebiotic Inulin-Type Fructans by Bifidobacterium Species Reveals Four Different Phenotypes{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Gwen Falony,1 Katerina Lazidou,1 An Verschaeren,1 Stefan Weckx,1 Dominique Maes,2 and Luc De Vuyst1*

Research Group of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology, Department of Applied Biological Sciences and Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium,1 Department of Macromolecular Structure, Vlaams Interuniversitair Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium2

Received 2 July 2008/ Accepted 11 November 2008

Kinetic analyses of bacterial growth, carbohydrate consumption, and metabolite production of 18 Bifidobacterium strains grown on fructose, oligofructose, or inulin were performed. A principal component analysis of the data sets, expanded with the results of a genetic screen concerning the presence of a β-fructofuranosidase gene previously encountered in Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DSM 10140T, revealed the existence of four clusters among the bifidobacteria tested. Strains belonging to a first cluster could not degrade oligofructose or inulin. Strains in a second cluster could degrade oligofructose, displaying a preferential breakdown mechanism, but did not grow on inulin. Fructose consumption was faster than oligofructose degradation. A third cluster was composed of strains that degraded all oligofructose fractions simultaneously and could partially break down inulin. Oligofructose degradation was substantially faster than fructose consumption. A fourth, smaller cluster consisted of strains that shared high fructose consumption and oligofructose degradation rates and were able to perform partial breakdown of inulin. For all strains, a metabolic shift toward more acetate, formate, and ethanol production, at the expense of lactate production, was observed during growth on less readily fermentable energy sources. No correlation between breakdown patterns and the presence of the β-fructofuranosidase gene could be detected. These variations indicate niche-specific adaptation of bifidobacteria and could have in vivo implications on the strain specificity of the stimulatory effect of inulin-type fructans on bifidobacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Group of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology (IMDO), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. Phone: 32 2 6293245. Fax: 32 2 6292720. E-mail: ldvuyst{at}vub.ac.be

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 November 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 454-461, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01488-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Falony, G., Verschaeren, A., De Bruycker, F., De Preter, V., Verbeke, K., Leroy, F., De Vuyst, L. (2009). In Vitro Kinetics of Prebiotic Inulin-Type Fructan Fermentation by Butyrate-Producing Colon Bacteria: Implementation of Online Gas Chromatography for Quantitative Analysis of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Gas Production. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 5884-5892 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Falony, G., Calmeyn, T., Leroy, F., De Vuyst, L. (2009). Coculture Fermentations of Bifidobacterium Species and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Reveal a Mechanistic Insight into the Prebiotic Effect of Inulin-Type Fructans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 2312-2319 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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