Prebiotic and probiotic combinations may lead to a synbiotic effect, demonstrating superior health benefits over either component alone. Using the Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME®) model, the effects of repeated supplementation with inulin (prebiotic, which is expected to provide a source of nutrition for the live microorganisms in the gut to potentially support optimal digestive health), Bacillus coagulans lactospore (probiotic), and a low and high dose of a synbiotic combination of the two on the gut microbial community activity and composition were evaluated. Test product supplementation increased the health-promoting short-chain fatty acids acetate and butyrate compared with levels recorded during the control period, demonstrating a stimulation of saccharolytic fermentation. This was likely the result of the increased abundance of several saccharolytic bacterial groups, including Megamonas, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium, following test product supplementation. The stimulation of acetate and butyrate production, as well as the increased abundance of saccharolytic bacterial groups were more evident in treatment week 3 compared with treatment week 1, demonstrating the value of repeated product administration. Further, the synbiotic formulations tended to result in greater changes compared with prebiotic or probiotic alone. Overall, the findings demonstrate a synbiotic potential for inulin and B. coagulans lactospore and support repeated administration of these products, indicating a potential for promoting gut health.
Keywords: Bacillus coagulans; M-SHIME; inulin; prebiotic; probiotic; synbiotic.