Comparison study

TIM-2 shows differential effects of solube fibers on microbiome

 

 

soluble fibers

About the project

Soluble dietary fibres are widely used in food products for their potential gut health benefits. However, not all fibres behave in the same way once they reach the colon. Differences in their chemical structure can influence how they are fermented by gut bacteria and which metabolites they produce. For ingredient developers, understanding these differences is essential when selecting and developing functional ingredients. Studies often investigate individual fibres separately, making direct comparisons difficult. Using InnoGI’s TIM-2 model, this research compared eight soluble dietary fibres under identical experimental conditions, providing insights into how fibre structure influences gut microbiota composition and metabolite activity.

 

 

Investigating the difference between fibers

To investigate the differences between eight soluble fibers, researchers used the TIM-2 in vitro colon model. TIM-2 was inoculated with a pooled faecal microbiota from 44 healthy adult volunteers, providing a standardised human gut microbial community for the experiments. The system was then used to investigate how the different fibres were fermented under controlled, colon-like conditions. As control a standard dietary fibre mixture was used as a reference/control.

Samples where analysed on gut microbiota composition, Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) and other fermentation metabolites.

Keywords

TIM-2 Nutrition Fibers SCFA TIM Colon

The results

  • Different fibers produced distinct changes in gut microbial composition.
  • SCFA production increased over time for all fibers, but only the pectins PS1-PS4 generated significantly higher SCFA levels than the control condition.
  • Structurally different soluble dietary fiber exert different effects on gut microbiota and fermentation outcomes, these effects cannot be explained solely by molecular weight or monosaccharide composition.

The TIM-2 system offers advantages over other in vitro colon models due to its unique features... 

Zhang et al., J. carbpol. 2025

Full reference

Yanyun Zhang, Nouhaila Belkassem, et al. A head-to-head comparison of soluble dietary fibers on microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid production using the in vitro TIM-2 system. Carbohydrate Polymers. 
Volume 368, Part 1,2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.124090.

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