In vitro fermentation of xylooligosaccharides from wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber by Bifidobacteria

The utilization of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from wheat bran dietary fiber by four Bifidobacterium strains (Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium breve) was investigated. Among the tested strains, B. adolescentis displayed the highest growth on XOS, whereas B. breve showed no growth. Further, the in vitro kinetic analysis of fermentation of XOS by B. adolescentis was performed. The maximum value of biomass yield and the lowest pH value of the culture broth were arrived at 7.22 mg/mL and 5.1, respectively, after in vitro fermentation for 24 h. The consumption of XOS by B. adolescentis reached 70.4% after 24 h, which preferred XOS with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 3 with 88% of percentage consumption, followed by DP 2, and DP 4–7. The total production of short-chain fatty acids, predominately acetate, reached 7.47 mg/mL in the fermentation of XOS.