In Vitro Effects of Stachyose on the Human Gut Microbiota

Abstract Gut microbiota plays an important role in human health. Stachyose, an oligosaccharide, modulates the gut microbiota composition in animals. However, the role of stachyose in promoting the proliferation of probiotics and whether it inhibits pathogenic micro‐organisms in human gut microbiota has not been explored. Therefore, in this study, the effects of stachyose on the gut microbiota and its metabolites in humans are explored. Three concentrations of stachyose are used as the sole carbon source for in vitro fermentation. Results show that stachyose improves beta diversity and increases the concentration of short‐chain fatty acid (SCFAs), mainly acetic acid and butyric acid. Stachyose is found to promote the relative abundance of Bifidobacteria, Faecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, and Prevotella genera in the gut microbiota. Besides, stachyose significantly reduces the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Escherichia‐Shigella genera. The findings show that stachyose increases beneficial microbiota, therefore, it is a useful prebiotic which modulates the composition of the gut microbiota.