In vitro human colonic fermentation of coffee arabinogalactan and melanoidin-rich fractions

Coffee beverage is a source of dietary fiber composed by arabinogalactans, which can also be associated to proteins and phenolic compounds, originating melanoidins. Human colonic in vitro fermentations of coffee fractions, one rich in melanoidins (Mel) and the other in its parental polysaccharide arabinogalactans (AG), were performed in order to evaluate the metabolites produced by microbiota, namely short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), phenolic compounds, and bile acids. After 48 h of fermentation, a higher fermentability of the carbohydrate fraction of AG (62 %) than that of Mel (27 %) was observed, resulting in a SCFA content of 63 mM and 22 mM, respectively. Supplementation with AG and Mel fractions decreased the acetate:propionate ratio from 4.7 (in the absence of coffee fractions) to 2.5 and 3.5, respectively, suggesting a potential inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase, a rate-limiting enzyme for cholesterol synthesis. The fermentation of coffee fractions yielded dihydroferulic and dihydrocaffeic acids, known to have antioxidant properties. In the presence of Mel, it was observed a decrease (from 0.25 to 0.16 mg/mL) in the production of secondary bile acids, whose high content is associated to the development of several diseases, such as colorectal cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular.