Example 48
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which are produced by many bacteria as a byproduct of carbohydrate fermentation. SCFA have been found to be important modulators of the immune system. They are abundantly produced bacteria from the Class Clostridia. To evaluate the effect of administered bacterial composition, optionally with one or more prebiotics, on SCFA, fecal pellets are collected to quantify SCFA levels, particularly acetate, propionate, or butyrate. SCFAs, creatines, and hydroxy-SCFAs are quantified by alkalinizing stool samples, obtaining fingerprints of the metabolic composition of the sample using 1D 1H NMR on a Bruker Avance-600 MHz Spectrometer, and analyzing with supervised multivariate statistical methods using Chenomx NMR Suite software.