Evaluation of the prebiotic potential of arabinoxylans extracted from wheat distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and in-process samples

Distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is a low-value agro-industrial by-product, rich in arabinoxylans (AX), which is produced by commercial distillery and bioethanol plants. In a first approach, we investigated the prebiotic potential of four fractions comprising arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS) and xylooligosaccharides (XOS) obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of AX fractions derived from DDGS and wet solids (in-process sample of DDGS production process). Anaerobic batch cultures in controlled pH conditions were used to test the prebiotic activity of the samples. Results did not show significant differences between the enzymatic treatments used, and all AXOS/XOS were extensively fermented after 24 h. In addition, significant increases (P < 0.05) in Bifidobacterium and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were observed after 24 h of fermentation. Finally, DDGS-derived hydrolysates were separated on an anionic semi-preparative column to prepare AXOS/XOS fractions with degree of polymerisation (DP) greater than 3. Bifidogenic activity and an increase of SCFAs were again observed after 24 h of fermentation, although this time, the selectivity was higher and the fermentation slower, suggesting that the fermentation of this substrate could take place (at least partially) in the distal part of the colon with highly desirable beneficial effects.