Abstract
Prebiotic-like effects of maltitol were investigated supplementing two groups of rats with either 5% maltodextrin (control group) or 5% maltitol (maltitol group). A third group was supplemented with 5% maltitol at first and then with 5% maltodextrin (maltitol/maltodextrin group). Faecal parameters were monitored throughout the experiment and caecal parameters at the end. The weights of caecal content and caecal wall were significantly higher in the maltitol group than in the control group, but not in the maltitol/maltodextrin group. Propionic acid concentration was significantly higher in the maltitol group compared to both control and maltitol/maltodextrin group. Faecal parameters were also influenced by the dietary supplementation with maltitol: the amount of dry matter in feces decreased and alpha-glucosidase activity increased. These effects lasted 28 days in the maltitol only group, whereas they stopped some days after the switch to maltodextrin in the maltitol/maltodextrin group. Maltitol could induce prebiotic-like effects.
Highlights
Sugar alcohols or polyols are characterized as low digestible carbohydrates, because they are incompletely digested in the small intestine and fermented in the colon at various extents depending on the polyol type
Prebiotic were defined as “a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affect the health of the host by selectively stimulating the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria and/or by decreasing harmful bacteria in the gut, by decreasing intestinal pH, by producing short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and by changing bacteria enzyme concentrations” [8,9]
Concerning SCFAs the maltitol group displayed no significant difference in the concentration of butyric acid in the caecal content as compared with the control group and with the maltitol/maltodextrin group
Summary
Sugar alcohols or polyols are characterized as low digestible carbohydrates, because they are incompletely digested in the small intestine and fermented in the colon at various extents depending on the polyol type. Maltitol is a polyol resulting from the hydrogenation of starch hydrolysates. Maltitol metabolism follows a well-known mechanism [1,2,3]. This polyol is only partially absorbed in the proximal intestine and reaches the lower bowel and the colon. The digestive tolerance of maltitol has been previously studied in chocolate in healthy adult volunteers [4,5,6]. It has been published that adults could consume up to 40 grams of maltitol per day with no major symptoms and children were able to consume 15 grams per intake [4,7]
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