Abstract
Abstract Objective Xylitol has been commonly used as a sweetener and dental caries protective agent. However, how xylitol influences the composition and metabolism of gut microbiota is not known yet. This study aimed to dissect the changes of microbiota and their metabolites under xylitol supplementation in an in vitro colonic simulation. Materials and methods A single-phase continuous fermentation model was used to culture human fecal flora and the 16s rDNA and short chain fatty acid were analyzed. Results and discussion It was found that gut microbiota composition differentiated after xylitol supplementation only for the beginning 3 days. Xylitol significantly enhanced the relative amount of butyrate synthesizing bacteria such as Clostridium and Phascolarctobacterium. Meanwhile, xylitol increased the production of propionic acid and butyrate. An increase of Escherichia population sizes after xylitol supplementation was beyond expectation. By Spearman analysis, a positive relationship between Escherichia and Bifidobacterium was found. Conclusion xylitol can rapidly enhance the total amount of short chain fatty acids, but its influence will disappear after 3 days of fermentation. Results of this investigation can be a guideline for the further investigations on xylitol in relation to gut microbiota and the daily intake determinations.
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