ABSTRACT
Investigating the interactions of fat substitutes with the colonic microflora presents new challenges to food scientists, microbiologists and gastrointestinal physiologists. With the exception of gums and some other carbohydrate-based fat substitutes, very few data on microbial interactions with fat substitutes can be found in the scientific literature. The design of a programme to study potential interactions between fat substitutes and the gut microflora should be based on an understanding of the chemical nature of the fat substitute. With this basic understanding the directed approach should include experiments which measure end-points of microbial metabolism and monitor the colonic functions supported by the presence of a viable microflora population. Although no single experiment or single end-point parameter is enough to provide a definitive answer to the effect of a fat substitute on the gut microflora community, the cumulative weight of multiple experiments and relevant, metabolic end-points can be used to assess the presence or absence of significant interactions between fat substitutes and the gut microflora.
