Time-dependent fermentation of different structural units of commercial pectins with intestinal bacteria

Many of the proposed health-related properties of pectins are based on their fermentability in the large intestine, but detailed structure-related studies on pectin fermentation have not been reported so far. Here, pectin fermentation kinetics were studied with a focus on structurally different pectic polymers. Therefore, six commercial pectins from citrus, apple, and sugar beet were chemically characterized and fermented in in vitro fermentation assays with human fecal samples over different periods of time (0 h, 4 h, 24 h, 48 h). Structure elucidation of intermediate cleavage products showed differences in fermentation speed and/or fermentation rate among the pectins, but the order in which specific structural pectic elements were fermented was comparable across all pectins. Neutral side chains of rhamnogalacturonan type I were fermented first (between 0 and 4 h), followed by homogalacturonan units (between 0 and 24 h) and, at last, the rhamnogalacturonan type I backbone (between 4 and 48 h). This indicates that fermentation of different pectic structural units might take place in different sections of the colon, potentially affecting their nutritional properties. For the formation of different short-chain fatty acids, mainly acetate, propionate, and butyrate, and the influence on microbiota, there was no time-dependent correlation regarding the pectic subunits. However, an increase of members of the bacterial genera Faecalibacterium, Lachnoclostridium, and Lachnospira was observed for all pectins.