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Acacia gum (AG) is a branched-polysaccharide gummy exudate that consists of arabinose and galactose. The traditional practice in African-Middle Eastern countries uses this gum as medicine. Traditional use of AG is to treat stomach disease, which can be a potential functional food. In this research, commercially available AG from Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal was investigated as the prebiotic. The experiment employed a pH-controlled in vitro colon model inoculated with human fecal microbiota to mimic the human colon. Fermentation samples at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h were brought for short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography and bacterial enumeration via fluorescent in situ hybridization. Results showed that AG significantly promotes Bifidobacteria proliferation similar to fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) while inhibiting the Clostridium histolyticum group, commonly associated with gut dysbiosis. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate showed a similar trend to FOS (p > 0.05). The AG shows potential against gut dysbiosis, as it promotes gut-probiotics, through modulation of microbial population and SCFA production, especially butyrate.

This study aimed to determine the therapeutic values of local bitter gourd relative to the conventional drugs, especially in managing oxidative stress and blood glucose. The therapeutic values of bitter gourd fruit were evaluated using three antioxidant assays (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging system [DPPH], the ability of ferric ion reduction in plasma [FRAP], total phenolic content [TPC]) and three hyperglycemic assays (inhibition of ?-amylase and ?-glucosidase and glucose uptake by human carcinoma liver cell [HepG2]). The result showed that bitter gourd fruit is not only a powerful secondary antioxidant but also a potent anti-diabetic food, which supported the use of bitter gourd fruit in suppressing high blood sugar in traditional medicine.

At birth, the human colon is rapidly colonized by gut microbes. Owing to their vast number and their capacity to ferment prebiotics, these gastrointestinal microbes act as an environmental factor that affects the host’s physiology and metabolism, particularly in the context of obesity and its related metabolic disorders. In this study, we investigate the effect of gum Arabic (Acacia senegal) as potential prebiotic on human microbiota from obese donors. The effect of Acacia senegal tested using anaerobic, pH-controlled faecal batch cultures system inoculated with human faeces to mimic the distal colon of obese subject. The microbial composition and production of microbial metabolites were monitored at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 36 h using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Acacia senegal was found to modulate the microbiota population, since it significantly increase the growth of Bifidobacterium and decrease the growth of Clostridium. These results identify Acacia senegal as an additional contributing factor to the gut microbiota of obese subjects.

Red seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) cultivated from Sabah (RSS) and Langkawi (RSL) were digested using in vitro mouth, gastric and duodenal model. The digested seaweed then fermented in a pH-controlled batch culture system inoculated with human faeces to mimic the distal colon. Bacterial enumeration were monitored using fluorescent in situ hybridisation, and the fermentation end products, the short chain fatty acids (SCFA), were analysed using HPLC. Both RSS and RSL showed significant increase of Bifidobacterium sp.; from log10 7.96 at 0 h to log10 8.72 at 24 h, and from log10 7.96 at 0 h to log10 8.60 at 24 h, respectively, and shows no significant difference when compared to the Bifidobacterium sp. count at 24 h of inulin fermentation. Both seaweeds also showed significant increase in total SCFA production, particularly acetate and propionate. Overall, this data suggested that K. alvarezii might have the potential as a prebiotic ingredient.

Gum Arabic (GA) is the dried gummy exudates obtained from stems and branches of trees of selected Acacia species (Acacia senegal & Acacia seyal). Present study includes extraction of water soluble polysaccharide of Gum Arabic from two different species. Polysaccharide was obtained by aqueous extraction, this methodology is simpler to perform than other existing extraction and purification methodologies, and because it avoids the use of organic solvents (other than ethanol). The characterized of isolated polysaccharide was defined by FTIR spectrum. The polysaccharide was characterized by the measurement of total sugar and reducing groups using phenol sulfuric method and DNS assay respectively. The crude polysaccharides were further studied by measuring protein and fat content. The digestibility of polysaccharides by human gastric juice was also determined. The vibrational assignment of the bands observed in FTIR spectrum is verified. The broad peak appeared at 950-1200 range indicate the finger print of polysaccharide. Results revealed the average values of proteins; 1.8% to 0.78% and fat; 0%. Acacia Senegal and Acacia Seyal showed great resistance towards artificial human gastric juice. The current study reveals that the extraction using aqueous extraction eliminates the protein content, thus providing more pure polysaccharide suitable for biological applications. The results also confirm the suitability of the extracted polysaccharide obtain from (Acacia Senegal & Acacia Seyal) to resist toward acid digestibility.