Petfood applications of inulin and oligofructose

Published data on intestinal microbiota of dogs and cats are limited but su ggest the presence of a complex and diverse colonic bacterial population (3 4 genera including 129 species) the majority of which are anaerobes. During the colonic fermentation of endogenous and undigested amino acids, several putrefactive compounds (i.e., ammonia, aliphatic amines, indoles, phenols and volatile sulfur-containing compounds) are produced and are responsible for the malodor of dog and cat feces. These fecal odor components also have been implicated as causes of colorectal cancer; therefore, dietary manipul ation of gut microbiota towards a potentially more remedial community (Bifi dobacterium and Lactobacillus) is gaining more attention. The health benefi ts derived from dietary supplementation of prebiotics (e.g., oligofructose and inulin) have been documented in humans. However, little is known of a p otentially similar role in companion animals. Feeding another prebiotic (i. e., lactosucrose) to dogs or cats is reported to increase the numbers of bi fidobacteria and decrease the numbers of pathogens and the concentration of fecal odor components. In our laboratory, oligofructose supplementation nu merically decreased the concentrations of ammonia and amines and increased the numbers of bifidobacteria in dog feces.