Influence of the type of indigestible carbohydrate on plasma and urine short chain fatty acid profiles in healthy human volunteers

Kristin Verbeke (1) , Véronique Ferchaud-Roucher (1) , Tom Preston (1) , Alexandra Small (1) , Liesbet Henckaerts (1) , Michel Krempf (1) , Hongwei Wang (1) , Roel Vonk (1) , Marion Priebe (1)

1 Department of Gastrointestinal Research

Background: Health effects of whole grain foods are becoming more evident. In this study, we analyzed the SCFA profiles in urine and serum derived from the colonic fermentation process of C barley meals, prepared from barley grown under CO-atmosphere. Methods: In a crossover study 5 volunteers ingested intact barley kernels (high content of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and resistant starch) and barley porridge (high content of NSP only). Using a newly developed stable isotope technology we monitored 14 h and 24 h postprandially C-acetate, C-propionate and C-butyrate in plasma and urine, respectively. The oro-cecal transit time of the meals was measured with the hydrogen breath test. Results: The oro-cecal transit time was 6 h and did not differ between the two test meals. An increase of C-acetate was observed already early after ingestion of the meals (< 6 h) and was attributed to early fermentation of the test meal. A rise in plasma C-propionate in the fermentation phase could only be detected after the porridge and not after the kernel meal. An increase in C-butyrate was only found in the fermentation phase and was higher after the barley kernels. Urine C-short chain fatty acids data were consistent with these observations. Conclusion: The difference in the profiles of C-acetate, C-propionate and C-butyrate indicates that NSP combined with resistant starch results in an altered fermentation profile than dietary fiber alone. key-words: fatty acids, volatile; stable isotope; barley; fermentation

Mots clés: fatty acids; volatile; fermentation; stable isotope; barley

Kristin Verbeke, Véronique Ferchaud-Roucher, Tom Preston, Alexandra Small, Liesbet Henckaerts, et al.. Influence of the type of indigestible carbohydrate on plasma and urine short chain fatty acid profiles in healthy human volunteers. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010, ⟨10.1038/ejcn.2010.92⟩. ⟨hal-00540036⟩