Butyrate production of anaerobic rumen bacterium Pseudobutyrivibrio xylanivorans Mz5T

Abstract

Butyrate is an important probiotic factor that beneficially affects the activity and survival of colonocytes and exerts an anticarcinogenic activity in the colon, too. Recently, on the basis of 17 rumen strains a new species P. xylanivorans with type strain Mz5^T was established. The strain Mz5^T produced butyrate and lactate as major fermentation products and utilized acetate in the medium with oat spelts xylan. Butyrate production was strongly increased during the logarithmic growth phase and was still slowly increasing in the late stationary phase. The rate of butyrate production was similar to other carbohydrates (birchwood and beechwood xylan, xylose, arabinose and glucose). The bulk of butyrate with regard to lactate was formed during the early logaritmic phase regardless of substrate. Therefore, P. xylanivorans Mz5^T could be used as probiotic in animal feed to improve xylan degradation and also for increased production of butyrate in the colon. The best choice would be a culture in the early logarithmic phase grown on an inexpensive source of carbohydrates.