Autor(es): Silva, Marcos Fellipe da ; Batista, José Josenildo ; Colunga, Alondra ; Pereira, Catarina Rodrigues ; Teixeira, J. A. ; Nobre, Clarisse ; Goldbeck, Rosana
Data: 2026
Identificador Persistente: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/98434
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Assunto(s): Lignocellulosic wastes; Prebiotic oligosaccharides; Gut microbiota
Agro-industrial residues, traditionally considered low-value by-products, have shown great potential to produce prebiotic oligosaccharides, such as xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and cello-oligosaccharides (COS). This study investigated the effects of XOS and COS, derived from sugarcane bagasse (SB) and corn husks (CH) by enzymatic hydrolysis, on the modulation of human intestinal microbiota in vitro. Cellulose and hemicellulose from SB and CH were obtained from alkaline treatment (5 % KOH, 121 °C, 1 atm, 15 min). XOS and COS were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis (pH 5.0, 50 °C, 2 % solids, 200 rpm, 48 h) using Shearzyme and Celluclast enzyme cocktails (Novozymes®), respectively. The concentrated hydrolysates were then fermented in vitro (37 °C, 48 h) with fecal microbiota from healthy volunteers, and the microbial communities were analyzed using Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing. The optimal XOS yields were 7.47 g/L (SB) and 4.41 g/L (CH), while COS production reached 0.27 g/L (SB) and 0.46 g/L (CH). Fermentation led to rapid microbial growth and pH reduction within 12 h. COS promoted the growth of Actinobacteria, while XOS favored Firmicutes and Bacteroidota. Both oligosaccharides selectively increased beneficial genera such as Bifidobacterium (predominantly with COS), Blautia, Slackia, Collinsella, and Bacteroides, which promote metabolic health and immune function. COS produced higher concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) (22.33 g/L and 24.39 g/L for SB and CH) compared to XOS (7.62 g/L and 15.82 g/L). SCFAs play important roles in reducing intestinal pH, supporting immunity, and inhibiting pathogens. These findings highlight the potential of XOS and COS as nutraceutical ingredients for beneficial modulation of the gut microbiota.
