Volume 88, Issue Suppl., September (2002), pp. s95-s99 © The Author 2002
doi:10.1079/BJN2002634

Medline/PubMed Citation | Related Articles in PubMed | Download to Citation Matcher  

Improvement of the probiotic effect of microorganisms by their combination with maltodextrins, fructo-oligosaccharides and polyunsaturated fatty acids

A. Bomba^1*, R. Nemcová¹, S. Gancarcíková¹, R. Herich², P. Guba¹, D. Mudronová^1
1Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Hlinkova 1/A, 040 01, Slovak Republic
²University of Veterinary Medicine, Komenského 73 040 01, Košice, Slovak Republic

Probiotics could represent an effective alternative to the use of synthetic substances in nutrition and medicine. The data concerning the efficacy of probiotics are often contradictory.

This paper focuses on the enhancement of the efficacy of probiotics by their combination with synergistically acting components of natural origin. Maltodextrins can be obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of starch and are suitable for consumption. Administration of Lactobacillus paracasei together with maltodextrin decreased the number of E. coli colonising the jejunal mucosa of gnotobiotic piglets by 1 logarithm compared to the control group. Fructo-oligosaccharides are naturally occurring oligosaccharides, mainly of plant origin. Lactobacillus paracasei administered in combination with fructo-oligosaccharides significantly increased counts of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, total anaerobes and total aerobes compared to the control group as well as the Lactobacillus paracasei group. It also significantly decreased Clostridium and Enterobacteriaceae counts in the faeces of the weanling piglets compared with the control group. Dietary lipids influence the gastrointestinal microbiota and specifically the population of lactic acid bacteria. In gnotobiotic piglets the oral administration of an oil containing polyunsaturated fatty acids specifically increased the number of Lactobacillus paracasei adhering to jejunal mucosa was significantly higher compared to the control group. Our results showed that maltodextrin KMS X – 70 and polyunsaturated fatty acids can be used to enhance the effect of probiotic microorganisms in the small intestine, and similarly fructooligosaccharides enhance the effect of probiotic microorganisms in the large intestine.

Keywords:
Probiotics: Maltodextrin: Fructo-oligosaccharides: Polyunsaturated fatty acids