Effects of banana powder (Musa acuminata Colla) on the composition of human fecal microbiota and metabolic output using in vitro fermentation

摘要

Bananas are rich in indigestible carbohydrates and are considered potential whole-fruit prebiotics. To investigate banana-induced changes in the composition of the human gut microbiota and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), ripe banana (Musa acuminata Colla, Degrees Brix: 22.6 ± 0.2° Be), from Hainan, China, was powdered and fermented in vitro for 24 hr with the feces of six Chinese donors. The degradation of banana polysaccharides was observed in all six fecal samples. During in vitro fecal fermentation, banana polysaccharides were gradually degraded up to approximately 80%. The production of SCFAs was also measured. The addition of banana powder increased the concentrations of acetate, propionate, and butyrate, with the production of acetate being higher than that of propionate and butyrate. Changes in the human gut microbiota were assessed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S riboso-mal RNA (rRNA) gene. The results indicated that banana powder significantly altered bacterial diversity, increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides, while maintaining the proportion of Bifidobacterium in the feces. At the same time, banana powder also increased the proportion of Lactobacillus; however, a significant difference was not observed. In summary, banana powder can be utilized by specific bacteria in human intestines, providing data support for the study of the effects of banana powder on the human intestinal health.