1D). These results indicated that the observed peak shifts of acetate and lactate in the ‘candidate prebiotic food group’ were caused by decreased pH levels with increased lactate production. Furthermore, it is likely that the observed reduction in the pH values was largely dependent on the levels of lactate production in the in vitro experiments. Therefore, JBO, JBOVS, and onion influenced

the microbial community in the feces during in vitro incubation resulting in an increase in the production of lactate and a decrease in the pH level. Next, we focused on the microbial community profiles because of different metabolic and pH profiles in the ‘candidate prebiotic food group’ compared with the ‘control group’. In order to compare

the microbial communities in the incubated feces, DGGE analysis was performed (Fig. 1E). The three major Apoptosis inhibitor bands detected by DGGE analysis after incubation indicated the presence of Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus murinus, and TSA HDAC order Lactobacillus fermentum. Surprisingly, these three bacteria all from the Lactobacillus group were detected as major bacteria in the microbial communities not only incubated with substrates of the ‘candidate prebiotic food group’, but also that of the ‘control group’. In addition, PCA was used to enable a more detailed comparison of the microbial profiles (i.e., considering the minor population of the microbial communities). The microbial community profiles for the different substrates containing feces prior to the incubation were almost identical and formed a cluster on the

PCA score plot, whereas the profiles of the different samples varied considerably after 12 h of incubation ( Fig. 1F). The microbial profile of the OSBPL9 FOS-treated feces was more similar to those of the control (no addition of substrate) and JBO than the profiles of the Japanese mustard spinach, arrowroot, glucan, and wheat-bran, whereas the profiles of JBOVS-treated feces were intermediate between those of the FOS and Japanese mustard spinach. These results indicated that there were variations in the detailed microbial community profiles (minor population) based on differences in the substrates being incubated, although the major microbes detected by DGGE analysis were almost identical to those of the three bacteria (i.e., L. johnsonii, L. murinus, and L. fermentum), which all belong to the Lactobacillus genus, as shown in Fig. 1E. The microbial community profiles were therefore influenced by the in vitro incubation process, although minor differences based on fluctuations in the major microbial community were also observed.