Determination of Bifidobacterial Carbohydrate Utilization Abilities and Associated Metabolic End Products

Bifidobacteria are able to utilize a diverse range of host-derived and dietary carbohydrates, the latter of which include many plant-derived oligo- and polysaccharides. Different bifidobacterial strains may possess different carbohydrate utilization abilities. These metabolic abilities can be studied using classical bacterial growth assessment methods, such as measurement of changes in optical density or acidity of the culture in the presence of the particular carbohydrate to generate growth and acidification curves, respectively. Scientists may also be interested in the growth rate during the exponential growth phase, and the maximum OD that is reached on a particular sugar, or the length of the lag phase. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance anion exchange chromatography coupled to pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) are extensively used in carbohydrate and metabolic end-product analysis due to their versatility and separation capabilities.