Chemical and microbial characterization for fermentation of water‐soluble cellulose acetate in human stool cultures

BACKGROUND Water-soluble cellulose acetate (WSCA), a synthetic fiber source, was applied to human stool cultures and to pure cultures of representative Bacteroides species to characterize the fermentation properties of WSCA in the human gut, and to assess the potential availability of WSCA as a food or additive candidate. RESULTS All 9 of the different types of WSCA tested here provided increased acetate levels in human stool cultures. Greater levels of deacetylation were observed as the degree of substitution of hydroxyl groups by acetyl groups decreased. Among the 9 tested types of WSCA, CA-0.78-128 caused the largest shifts of the microbial community, including increased abundances of members of the genus Bacteroides, especially Bacteroides uniformis. Of 4 representative human gut Bacteroides species, only B. uniformis grew in pure culture on WSCA to actively produce acetate. CONCLUSION WSCA has potential for dietary application in human and other monogastric animals, based on the enhanced production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in particular acetate, in the hindgut. SCFA production is caused by selective proliferation of specific gut bacteria belonging to the genus Bacteroides. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.