Systematic analysis of the potential prebiotic effects of Blackberry Seed Polysaccharides by utilizing the in vitro...

Blackberry seed polysaccharides (BSPs) are commonly considered to be a beneficial living substance. The digestive mechanism and functional properties of BSPs in the human gastrointestinal tract were investigated by simulating chronological digestion and dynamic fermentation in vitro. SEM and FT-IR analyses demonstrated that the dynamic digestion of BSPs resulted in solely morphological changes, with no effect on structural characteristics. The results of the alpha diversity and beta diversity analyses suggested that BSPs had the capacity to enhance the diversity of intestinal microorganisms to a certain extent. In terms of species composition, after fermentation, BSPs led to an increase of 6.3 % and 8 % respectively in the probiotic genera Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, and a reduction of 3 % in the proportion of the harmful genus Megamonas. In contrast to the control group, BSPs significantly enhanced the production of SCFAs and intestinal gases, which were positively correlated with the composition of intestinal microorganisms such as Smithella and Thermovirga. It was concluded that BSPs have the capacity to induce changes in the structure and composition of the intestinal microorganisms, which in turn leads to the production of beneficial products. This study offers novel concepts for the innovative application of BSPs in the development of functional foods and accumulates significant experience for the development of in vitro simulated digestion and efficacy evaluation of foods.