APC Microbiome Ireland - Book Chapters
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Item Determination of bifidobacterial carbohydrate utilization abilities and associated metabolic end products(Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 03/03/2021) Solopova, Ana; van Sinderen, Douwe; van Sinderen, Douwe; Ventura, MarcoBifidobacteria are able to utilize a diverse range of host-derived and dietary carbohydrates, the latter of which include many plant-derived oligo- and polysaccharides. Different bifidobacterial strains may possess different carbohydrate utilization abilities. These metabolic abilities can be studied using classical bacterial growth assessment methods, such as measurement of changes in optical density or acidity of the culture in the presence of the particular carbohydrate to generate growth and acidification curves, respectively. Scientists may also be interested in the growth rate during the exponential growth phase, and the maximum OD that is reached on a particular sugar, or the length of the lag phase. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance anion exchange chromatography coupled to pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) are extensively used in carbohydrate and metabolic end-product analysis due to their versatility and separation capabilities.Item Protocol to select bifidobacteria from fecal and environmental samples(Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 03/03/2021) Alessandri, Giulia; Ossiprandi, Maria Cristina; Ventura, Marco; van Sinderen, Douwe; van Sinderen, Douwe; Ventura, MarcoBifidobacteria are commensal microorganisms able to colonize several ecological niches. Since their discovery, culture-dependent methods combined with the most modern next-generation sequencing techniques have contributed to shed light on the ecological, functional and genomic features of bifidobacteria, purporting them as microorganisms with probiotic traits. Thanks to their acclaimed health-promoting effects, several members of the Bifidobacterium genus have been included in a variety of functional foods and drugs. In this context, the functional relevance of bifidobacteria in the gut explains ongoing efforts to isolate novel and potentially beneficial strains. For this purpose, development of effective and selective isolation protocols in concert with knowledge on the physiological characteristics of bifidobacterial are fundamental requirements for their recovery and discovery from their natural environments, in particular from fecal samples.