Potential Prebiotic Effect of Inulin-Enriched Pasta after In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion and Simulated Gut...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Microbiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Functional foods offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
• Inulin is a prebiotic fiber known to modulate gut microbiota.
• Pasta is a widely consumed staple food, offering a potential vehicle for prebiotic delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prebiotic potential of pasta enriched with 12% inulin.
• To evaluate the impact of inulin incorporation on pasta's organoleptic and cooking properties.
• To assess the inulin-enriched pasta's ability to support probiotic growth and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production.

Main Methods:

• In vitro gastrointestinal digestion and simulated gut fermentation of inulin-enriched pasta versus control pasta.
• Organoleptic and cooking quality assessments.
• In vitro screening of probiotic strains with chicory inulin, followed by fermentation studies using selected strain *Lacticaseibacillus paracasei* IMPC2.1.

Main Results:

• Inulin enrichment positively affected organoleptic traits and cooking quality, with significantly higher overall scores.
• Essential amino acid content remained similar, while total protein content decreased due to flour substitution.
• The inulin-enriched pasta demonstrated prebiotic activity, favoring *Lacticaseibacillus paracasei* IMPC2.1 growth and SCFA production.

Conclusions:

• Inulin-enriched pasta exhibits prebiotic potential, supporting beneficial gut bacteria growth.
• The functional pasta shows enhanced organoleptic and cooking characteristics.
• Incorporating inulin into pasta is a viable strategy to create a functional food with prebiotic benefits.