Development of a synbiotic potential score as a quantitative approach for selecting putative synergistic strain-prebiotic candidates

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dc.contributor.authorWasiewska, Luiza A.
dc.contributor.authorKareem, Lamiah
dc.contributor.authorLinares, Ainhoa G.
dc.contributor.authorGunnigle, Eoin
dc.contributor.authorRisso, Davide
dc.contributor.authorLaurie, Ieva
dc.contributor.authorvan Sinderen, Douwe
dc.contributor.authorClarke, Gerard
dc.contributor.authorSchellekens, Harriët
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-08T10:41:01Z
dc.date.available2026-09-08T10:41:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-05-22
dc.description.abstractAims: Synbiotics are increasingly being examined for their potential to enhance host health. Synergistic synbiotics are specifically designed such that the prebiotic component is selectively utilized by co-administered microorganisms, thereby providing enhanced benefits to the host. In this study, we propose a synbiotic potential score (SPS), a quantitative, high-throughput method for assessing bacterial proliferation on selected dietary fibres that incorporates growth curve values. This score was applied to both rich and minimal media to assess the utilization of difficult-to-digest fibres, such as resistant maltodextrin (RM). Methods and results: The SPS score was first calculated for eight putative probiotic strains grown on short chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS), RM, and their combination. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSM 20205, Bifidobacterium breve JCM 7017, Bifidobacterium longum APC 1472, Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 20083, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis ATCC 27536 scored highest for scFOS, whereas their growth on RM compared to that on media without carbohydrates was minimal. Four strains were selected for further experiments in minimal MRS medium. All four bacteria demonstrated improved utilization of RM, as indicated by a higher SPS score, suggesting that minimal media better supports the specific utilization of target prebiotics. Conclusions: Our approach reduces confounding factors, enabling clearer insights into prebiotic–probiotic interactions. This supports the systematic selection of effective strain-prebiotic pairs, guiding targeted synbiotic development for personalized nutrition and improved health outcomes. Future studies should validate our approach across multiple strains within the same species and using in vivo models.en
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent12
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleidlxag124
dc.identifier.authororcidWasiewska, Luiza A.§0000-0002-9011-0814
dc.identifier.authororcidKareem, Lamiah
dc.identifier.authororcidLinares, Ainhoa G.
dc.identifier.authororcidGunnigle, Eoin§0000-0002-9836-9601
dc.identifier.authororcidRisso, Davide
dc.identifier.authororcidLaurie, Ieva
dc.identifier.authororcidvan Sinderen, Douwe§0000-0003-1823-7957
dc.identifier.authororcidClarke, Gerard§0000-0001-9771-3979
dc.identifier.authororcidSchellekens, Harriët§0000-0002-6065-3797
dc.identifier.citationWasiewska, L A, Kareem, L, Linares, A G, Gunnigle, E, Risso, D, Laurie, I, van Sinderen, D, Clarke, G & Schellekens, H 2026, 'Development of a synbiotic potential score as a quantitative approach for selecting putative synergistic strain-prebiotic candidates', Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 137, no. 6, lxag124, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxag124
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/jambio/lxag124
dc.identifier.endpage12
dc.identifier.issn1364-5072
dc.identifier.issued6
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Applied Microbiology
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-6065-3797/work/226165553
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-9836-9601/work/226165558
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-9011-0814/work/226165649
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-1823-7957/work/226165804
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19184
dc.identifier.volume137
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherJohn Wiley and Sons Inc
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041067963
dc.rights©2026, the Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectBifidobacterium
dc.subjectFibres
dc.subjectMicrobiota
dc.subjectSynbiotic potential score (SPS)
dc.subjectSynergistic synbiotics
dc.subject[TyndallMicroNano]
dc.subject[OVPRI]
dc.subject[Microbiology]
dc.subject[APCMicrobiome]
dc.subject[Medicine]
dc.titleDevelopment of a synbiotic potential score as a quantitative approach for selecting putative synergistic strain-prebiotic candidatesen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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