Cell wall composition of 1B/1R translocation wheat grains

The cell wall composition and total dietary fibre content of 12 different winter wheat cultivars both without and with 1B/1R gene were analysed. Translocation wheat (with 1B/1R gene) had higher contents of extractable xylose and unextractable mannose residues than standard wheat (without 1B/1R gene). Three sieved flours of standard wheat, translocation wheat and rye respectively were used for further detailed studies. Water‐extractable arabinoxylan was isolated and fractionated on a DEAE‐cellulose column. The water‐eluted fraction of translocation wheat had a higher proportion of monosubstituted xylose residues than the same fraction of standard wheat, which is a typical feature of rye arabinoxylan. Molecular weight determination showed that rye water‐eluted arabinoxylans were larger than those of wheat. The molecular weight of translocation wheat arabinoxylan was lower than that of standard wheat and had a high polydispersity. Xylanase‐resistant arabinoxylan was extracted from all three flours, and NMR studies showed that wheat xylanase‐resistant arabinoxylan had a lower amount of monosubstituted xylose residues, while the rye fraction was rich in consecutive disubstituted xylose residues. Translocation wheat xylanase‐resistant arabinoxylan resembled that of standard wheat. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

小麦淀粉加工废水中阿拉伯木聚糖的理化性质及抗氧化活性研究

从小麦淀粉加工废水中制备阿拉伯木聚糖(AX),通过激光光散射法和离子色谱法(IC)对其相对分子质量和单糖组分等理化性质进行分析,并采用体外实验研究AX的抗氧化性。研究表明:源自小麦淀粉废水的AX具有较强的还原能力和DPPH自由基清除能力,对羟基自由基清除作用则相对较弱。分级醇沉可以有效分离具有不同分支结构、单糖比例、相对分子质量的AX,其中60%乙醇醇沉AXE纯度较高,纯度为86.81%。分级醇沉AX,随乙醇浓度的增加,目标AX的平均相对分子质量减小,其Ara/Xyl比值及半乳糖(Gal)含量增加。具有不同相对分子质量、分支结构及单糖比例的AX,其对DPPH自由基、羟基自由基清除作用以及还原力不同,分子质量较大且具有较小分支结构的AX具有较强的供氢能力,而络合游离金属离子的能力相对较弱。      

Carbohydrate composition of wheat,wheat bran,sorghum and bajra with good chapati/roti (Indian flat bread) making quality

Varieties of wheat, sorghum and bajra having good chapati/roti making quality were studied for carbohydrate profile. Polysaccharide fractions (water-soluble, barium hydroxide-soluble, alkali-soluble and insoluble) were isolated from these cereals and wheat bran and their carbohydrate profiles were studied. Arabinoxylans were the major polysaccharides, other than starch and cellulose. The ratio of arabinose to xylose in whole-wheat flour and wheat bran was nearly 1.25:1 but the hemicellulose A in wheat flour was mainly xylan-type. Among the pentosans in barium hydroxide extract of sorghum, the hemicellulose A had more arabinose than xylose, but the hemicellulose B contained nearly equal amounts of arabinose and xylose. Bajra had arabinose and xylose in nearly equal amounts in both the barium hydroxide extract and alkali-soluble fractions. The alkali-insoluble residues were complexes of pentosans with cellulose and were strongly bound. Contents of dietary fibre varied between the cereals. Wheat bran had the highest among the four.     

Arabinoxylan content and characterisation throughout the bread‐baking process

End‐use quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is influenced in a variety of ways by nonstarch polysaccharides, especially arabinoxylan (AX). The objective of this study was to track total and water‐extractable AX (TAX and WEAX, respectively) throughout the bread‐baking process, using wholemeal and refined flour. The TAX and WEAX content and the ratio of arabinose: xylose were assessed in flour, mixed dough, proofed dough and the bread loaf, which was separated into crumb, upper crust and bottom crust. Changes in TAX during the baking process differed between the refined flour and wholemeal samples, suggesting a change in the TAX availability which we ascribe to molecular interactions and heat treatment. WEAX content dramatically decreased during baking, suggesting that oxidative cross‐linkages rendered it unextractable. Higher levels of WEAX and lower levels of arabinose substitution were correlated with higher loaf volumes for refined flour among the hard wheat varieties. Having a better understanding of the importance of both WEAX content and arabinose substitution allows for directed breeding efforts towards improved hard wheat varieties for optimum bread baking.     

A survey of β-glucan and arabinoxylan content in wheat

BACKGROUND: Dietary fibre lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer. This survey quantifies mixed link β‐glucan (MBG) and arabinoxylan (AX) in wheat and investigates relationships between the grain carbohydrates. MBG and AX contents were measured in 500 and 200 wheat accessions respectively, including diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid genotypes comprising primitive, synthetic and elite lines. RESULTS: Overall, MBG contents ranged between 1.8 and 18.0 g kg^?1 grain dry weight. In wheat–barley addition lines and triticale hexaploids the levels were 9.0–11.3 and 3.5–9.6 g kg^?1 respectively. The amounts in synthetic wheats were nearer their tetraploid parents than their diploid parents. AX and total non‐starch polysaccharide (NSP) contents ranged from 23.7 to 107.5 g kg^?1 and from 31.7 to 136.7 g kg^?1 respectively. Linear regressions showed that the relationships of starch and grain weight with NSP glucose were stronger than those with AX. CONCLUSION: The results indicated insufficient genetic diversity in the germplasm surveyed to initiate a breeding programme to increase the amount of MBG in wheat grain to 20 g kg^?1, a level considered high enough to confer a 10–15% reduction in blood cholesterol. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of high‐performance liquid chromatography and non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis methods for the determination of fenoxycarb residues in wheat samples

BACKGROUND: Practical methods for the analysis of fenoxycarb residues in wheat samples were developed using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE). RESULTS: Fenoxycarb residues in wheat were extracted with acetone by ultrasonication, followed by a clean‐up procedure with liquid–liquid extraction with 5% NaCl/dichloromethane. The HPLC was developed using C18 as column, MeOH/water (6:4, v/v) as the mobile phase and 199 nm as the detection wavelength. The optimal NACE condition was established with the running buffer of 20.0 mmol L^?1 NH₄Ac in 95% MeOH (pH* 9.0), and the applied voltage of 30 kV over a capillary of 50 µm i.d. × 48.5 cm × 40 cm effective length. Both methods gave the relatively lower limits of detection (0.008 mg kg^?1 for HPLC and 0.024 mg kg^?1 for NACE) and the higher recoveries (>85.0%). They were successfully applied to the determination of fenoxycarb in wheat samples. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the fenoxycarb residue gradually reduced to trace amounts after about 3 years, which implied that the pharmacological actions of fenoxycarb could last for about 3 years. Meanwhile, more effort should be made to control and reduce fenoxycarb residues because of its potential health risks to consumers. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fractionation of wheat bran carbohydrates

A procedure for the fractionation of wheat bran carbohydrates with an emphasis on non-starchy polysaccharides is described. After a complete extraction using a chloroform-methanol (2:1) solvent, bran was destarched using amyloglucosidase and extracted using ammonium oxalate. Then delignification by sodium chlorite followed by hot water extractions was applied. Small quantities of water-soluble hemicellulosic polymers containing glucose, xylose, arabinose with lesser amounts of galactose and mannose were removed by these three steps. The remaining holocellulose (of a low protein content) was extracted using 1M sodium hydroxide, and hemicelluloses A1 and B1 were separated from the extract. Hemicellulose A1 (5.4% of native bran) was determined to be a xylan containing smaller proportions of arabinose and glucose, whereas hemicellulose B1 (12.6% of native bran) was a complex mixture of several types of polysaccharides, the major one being a highly branched arabinoxylan. Hemicelluloses A4 and B4, obtained by 4M sodium hydroxide extraction of the residue after 1M sodium hydroxide treatment, had lesser amounts of arabinose compared with the respective fractions from the preceding step. For hexoses, higher proportions of mannose and glucose were found. α-Cellulose residue retains 19.8% of pentosans.     

Immunochromatography for the rapid determination of cadmium concentrations in wheat grain and eggplant

BACKGROUND: A simple and quick on‐site test for trace levels of cadmium (Cd) in food is needed because of the human toxicity of this heavy metal. We developed an immunochromatography kit which uses the antigen‐antibody complex reaction between the Cd–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Cd–EDTA) complex and an anti‐Cd–EDTA antibody. We previously reported the successful use of this kit to determine Cd concentrations in brown rice with respect to the international standard: 0.4 mg kg^?1. Here, we measured, using this immunochromatography kit, Cd concentrations in crops with lower international standards than rice. RESULTS: Cadmium extracted with 0.1 mol L^?1 HCl from wheat grain and fresh eggplant was purified sufficiently using an ion‐exchange column treatment. Appropriate HCl extraction rates and dilution rates for the column eluate were selected; Cd concentrations in wheat grain and fresh eggplant were determined successfully by immunochromatography with respect to the international standards of 0.2 mg kg^?1 and 0.05 mg kg^?1 fresh weight, respectively. CONCLUSION: Approximate Cd concentrations in wheat grain and fresh eggplant can be monitored easily and quickly by this method at locations where facilities for acid digestion and precision analysis are not available. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Degradation of rye arabinoxylans in the large intestine of pigs

Four types of rye bread (based on whole rye, pericarp/testa, aleurone or endosperm) differing in arabinoxylan (AX) structure were fed to pigs. Collected intestinal material was extracted with cold water and 4 M potassium hydroxide, and the AX were characterised by methylation analyses. The endosperm AX were extensively and readily degraded in the caecum (0.78), whereas pericarp/testa AX were undegraded in the intestinal tract of pigs. Aleurone AX were also degraded to a large extent (faecal digestibility 0.73) but at a slower rate, and, in agreement, structural modification of aleurone AX also took place beyond the proximal colon. The differences in AX degradability correlated well with differences in water and alkali extractability and differences in structural characteristics of the AX. Endosperm AX were thus characterised by a large content of water‐extractable AX and pericarp/testa AX by a very high degree of (mono‐ and double‐) xylose substitution. In contrast, aleurone AX were characterised by the presence of an alkali‐extractable AX with a very low degree of substitution, which precipitated upon dialysis of the alkali extract. The faecal xylose substitution patterns were similar irrespective of diet. The study thus showed that the structural characteristics of a dietary fibre component influenced dietary fibre degradation in pigs, which may hold important implications for the colonic health in monogastrics. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

The phenolic acid and polysaccharide composition of cell walls of bran layers of mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Avalon) grains

The purpose of this study was to examine the carbohydrate and phenolic‐ester composition of cell walls in wheat bran layers. Four defined layers of wheat bran were separated manually from mature grains of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Avalon) to give samples of beeswing bran (outer pericarp), cross cells, testa + nucellar epidermis and aleurone cells. The cell‐wall material from each layer, and from a sample of intact bran, was analysed for carbohydrates and wall‐bound esterified phenolic acids. The cell‐wall material of intact bran was rich in arabinose and xylose with significant quantities of glucose and uronic acid and a relatively small amount of galactose and mannose. The varying ratios of arabinose:xylose in cell walls of isolated bran layers indicated that the heteroxylans had tissue‐specific substitution patterns. HPLC analysis of phenolic acids identified significant amounts of esterified ferulic acid and 8‐8′‐ (aryltetralin form), 5‐8′‐, 5‐5′‐, 8‐0‐4′‐ and 5‐8′‐(benzofuran form)‐dehydrodiferulic acids in the isolated cell walls. Ferulic acid was highly concentrated in the aleurone layer, whereas dehydrodiferulates were concentrated in the beeswing bran and cross cells. The role of phenolic cross‐linking is discussed in relation to the architecture of the cell walls of wheat bran and to processing implications. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bran characteristics and wheat performance in whole wheat bread

The effect of the composition and physical properties of bran from four wheat samples from different cultivars was determined in whole wheat bread. High specific volume of whole wheat bread was correlated (r² = 0.8275) with strong mechanical properties (low friability) of the bran of wheat cultivars, as determined by sizing (over 425 μm) of bran particles after grinding with a rotor mill. Fibre content and composition of insoluble fibre (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin) in the bran fraction had a non‐significant (P > 0.05) effect on the performance of wheat cultivars in whole wheat bread. Water absorption of bran was correlated (r² = 0.9532) with its insoluble fibre content. Based on data obtained with white flour, it was not possible to estimate the baking potential of wheat cultivars in whole wheat bread.     

Xylitol bioproduction from wheat straw: hemicellulose hydrolysis and hydrolyzate fermentation

A 2² central composite design with five center points was performed to estimate the effects of temperature (120, 130 and 140 °C) and acid loading (100, 150 and 200 mg g^?1) on the yield of monomeric xylose recovery from wheat straw hemicellulose (Y_S/RM). Under the best hydrolysis condition (140 °C and 200 mg g^?1), a Y_S/RM of 0.26 g g^?1 was achieved. After vacuum concentration and detoxification by pH alteration and active charcoal adsorption, the hydrolyzate was used as source of xylose for xylitol bioproduction in a stirred tank reactor. A xylitol production of 30.8 g L^?1 was achieved after 54 h^?1 of fermentation, resulting in a productivity (Q_P) of 0.57 g L^?1 h^?1 and bioconversion yield (Y_P/S) of 0.88 g g^?1. The maximum specific rates of xylose consumption and xylitol production were 0.19 and 0.15 g g^?1 h^?1, respectively. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Partial characterization of β‐ d‐xylosidase from wheat malts

Arabinoxylans (AXs) from wheat malts potentially affect beer quality and production. β‐ d ‐Xylosidase is a key enzyme that degrades the main chains of AXs to produce xylose. This study performed a partial characterization of β‐ d ‐xylosidase from wheat malts. The optimal temperature was 70 °C and the enzyme exhibited excellent thermostability, that is, residual activities were 92.6% at 60 °C for 1 h. The enzyme was stable over a pH range of 3.0–6.0 and showed optimum activity at pH 3.5 and 4.5. Kinetic parameters K_m and V_max of wheat malt β‐ d ‐xylosidase against p‐nitrophenyl‐xyloside were 1.74 mmol L⁻¹ and 0.76 m m min⁻¹, respectively. The enzyme activity was severely inhibited by Cu²⁺, moderately inhibited by Mn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺ and Na⁺ and mildly inhibited by Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺. The partial enzymatic characterization achieved in this study can be used as a theoretical basis for purifying β‐ d ‐xylosidase from wheat malts. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Effect of endo‐xylanase‐containing enzyme preparations and laccase on the solubility of rye bran arabinoxylan

Three commercial enzyme preparations with endo‐xylanase activity, namely Bio‐Feed Wheat, Bio‐Feed Plus and Grindamyl H 640, and laccase have been tested for their effects on the solubilisation of arabinoxylan (AX) in rye bran or autoclaved rye bran. Autoclaving efficiently increased the availability of AX for enzymatic degradation. Both Bio‐Feed Wheat (a monocomponent enzyme) and Bio‐Feed Plus (a multicomponent preparation with different enzymatic activities) efficiently degraded the autoclaved rye bran AX into lower‐molecular‐weight fragments. As much as 70% of the xylose residues and 58% of the arabinose residues in the autoclaved bran were soluble after treatment with Bio‐Feed Plus; the weight—average molecular weight of the detectable portion of these soluble polymers was 104 000 Da. Grindamyl H 640 solubilised only a small fraction of the AX in autoclaved rye bran; the molecular weight of these soluble fragments was higher than that of those released by the Bio‐Feed xylanases. Addition of laccase during treatment with Bio‐Feed Wheat or Grindamyl H 640 decreased the yield of water‐soluble AX. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rumen degradation of cell wall polysaccharides in untreated and alkali-treated straws and cereal brans

Rumen degradation of cell wall polysaccharide constituents using the in sacco technique was studied for untreated cereal brans (oats, wheat and barley) and nine technically alkali-treated batches of barley straw. The alkali treatment included four ammonia treatments, two dry sodium hydroxide treatments and three wet sodium hydroxide treatments. On degradation of the cell wall polysaccharides, their main constituents, xylose and glucose, were released at about the same rate for the ammonia treatments and the dry sodium hydroxide treatments. For the wet sodium hydroxide treatments the degradation of the xylose residues was faster than the liberation of the glucose residues. For all treatments the liberation of the arabinose residues was faster than that of the xylose and glucose residues. The reason for the increased digestibility of the cell wall polysaccharides is suggested to be the breaking of ester and hydrogen bonds and the breaking of alkali-labile linkages in lignin, as well as changes in the surface layer of the straw. For the wet sodium hydroxide treatments the larger amount of water present during the alkali treatment processes is suggested to increase the diffusion of the alkali into the straw and to translocate a part of the hemicellulose. On the degradation of wheat and barley bran the liberation of xylose residues was fast whereas xylose and arabinose residues in oat bran were slowly liberated.     

Effects of germination on nutritional composition of waxy wheat

BACKGROUND: Germination is considered to improve the nutritive value, antioxidant capacity and functional properties of grains. In this study, changes in the chemical composition, nutritive value and antioxidant capacity of waxy wheat during germination were determined. RESULTS: Over a 48 h period of germination the protein and free lipid contents of germinated waxy wheat were not significantly different from those of the control, whereas the bound lipid content decreased significantly. An increase in levels of ash and dietary fibre was clearly observed for the 48 h‐germinated wheat. The total free amino acid content of the 48 h‐germinated wheat was 7881 mg kg^?1 flour (dry basis (d.b.)), significantly higher than that of the ungerminated wheat (2207 mg kg^?1 flour, d.b.). In particular, γ‐aminobutyric acid increased from 84 mg kg^?1 flour (d.b.) in the control to 155 mg kg^?1 flour (d.b.) in the 48 h‐germinated wheat. Germination did not significantly affect the fatty acid composition of both free and bound lipids of waxy wheat, whereas free phenolic compounds increased during germination, resulting in an increase in antioxidant capacity of germinated wheat. CONCLUSION: Germinated waxy wheat had a better nutritional composition, such as higher dietary fibre, free amino acid and total phenolic compound contents, than ungerminated waxy wheat. Therefore germinated waxy wheat should be used to improve the nutritional quality of cereal‐based products. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Policosanol content and composition of wheat varieties as affected by environment

BACKGROUND: Policosanol (PC) is a mixture of high‐molecular‐weight aliphatic primary saturated alcohols which possesses cholesterol‐lowering properties. Literature on PC contents and compositions of wheat varieties is limited. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype and environment on PC content and composition in wheat grain. RESULTS: Grain samples were collected from three varieties, Jagger, Trego and Intrada, grown at three locations, Alva, Balko and Goodwell, OK, in 2005. Two sets of samples were obtained from Goodwell (irrigated and dryland samples). Total PC content and PC composition in whole wheat grain samples were determined using a gas chromatography system. PC contents of the whole wheat grain samples varied from 15.9 to 28.7 mg kg^?1. Tricosanol, tetracosanol, hexacosanol, octacosanol and triacontanol were the most abundant PC components. Within each location a significant variety effect was observed. There was also a significant location × variety random effect on PC content. CONCLUSION: A fundamental understanding of compositional variation in wheat grain requires multi‐environment testing of genotypes, perhaps over several years. This study is the first step towards achieving this goal by revealing significant genetic differences in a limited set of genotypes. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

In vitro-cultured wheat spikes provide a simplified alternative for studies of cadmium uptake in developing grains

BACKGROUND: An immature wheat spike culture system was used to monitor cadmium (Cd) accumulation in grains, hulls and awns of bread wheat and durum wheat. Immature spikes were cultured prior to anthesis in a medium containing 50 g L^?1 sucrose and 0.4 g L^?1 L ‐glutamine, supplemented with 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 mg L^?1 cadmium chloride (CdCl₂). Grains were collected at maturity and their Cd accumulation was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). RESULTS: Cd accumulation at CdCl₂ concentrations of 3 mg L^?1 and above was higher in grains of durum wheat compared with bread wheat. In hulls a similar trend was observed at CdCl₂ concentrations above 15 mg L^?1. Starch concentration in grains increased slightly at 3 and 4 mg L^?1 CdCl₂. Cd accumulation negatively affected grain protein concentration. Expression patterns of Cd‐related genes glutathione reductase (TaGR), metallothionein (MT) and phytochelatin synthase (PCS) in spikes cultured in media containing 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg L^?1 CdCl₂ at 5 days post‐anthesis showed that TaGR and PCS expression in bread wheat was up‐regulated at 5 mg L^?1 CdCl₂ but down‐regulated at other CdCl₂ concentrations. However, in durum wheat, expression of all three genes was down‐regulated or remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that immature spike culture can be used to study Cd accumulation in grains and can delineate hyper‐accumulating durum wheat from bread wheat at CdCl₂ concentrations of 2 mg L^?1 and above. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Evaluation of physical and chemical characteristics of newly evolved wheat cultivars

Evaluation of quality characteristics of wheat provides significant feedback to breeders for selection/evolution of the most suitable varieties. Seven advanced wheat cultivars and two commercial varieties were studied for 11 physicochemical characteristics. These cultivars showed significant differences for all parameters except ash content, which showed no significant variation. Test weight ranged between 75.6 kg hl^?1 (NRL‐2005) and 80.5 kg hl^?1 (NRL‐2017). Kernel weight and volume were highest (4.0 g and 3.2 ml) for NRL‐9822 and lowest (3.3 g and 2.6 ml) for NRL‐2005. Biological yield was highest (14 040 kg ha^?1) for NRL‐9822 and lowest (12 380 kg ha^?1) for Takbeer variety. Grain yield varied between 4717 kg ha^?1 (NRL‐01‐7) and 4042 kg ha^?1 (NRL‐9736), non‐grain biomass between 9708 and 8083 kg ha^?1, protein yield between 614.3 and 480.8 kg ha^?1 and harvest index between 34.8 and 30.8%. Moisture content ranged from 7.46 to 9.07%. Gluten and protein contents were highest (39.69 and 13.81%) in NRL‐9736 and lowest (29.78 and 12.70%) in NRL‐9822. Test weight was positively correlated with kernel weight and volume and negatively associated with moisture, protein and gluten contents. Protein and gluten contents had a negative association with kernel weight and volume. Gluten content had a highly positive correlation with protein content. Grain yield was positively correlated with biological yield. Protein yield had a positive relationship with biological and grain yields and a negative association with harvest index. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of dietary inclusion of xylooligo‐ saccharides,arabinoxylooligosaccha‐ rides and soluble arabinoxylan on the microbial composition of caecal contents of chickens

BACKGROUND: Arabinoxylan (AX)‐derived preparations have raised particular interest by the suggestion that they exert prebiotic properties. Therefore an in vivo experiment was conducted to study the effects of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) and soluble AX (S‐AX) on several groups of gut bacteria of chickens. Chickens were fed a control diet or the same diet supplemented with 2.5 g kg^?1 of XOS (average degree of polymerisation (avDP) of 3, average degree of arabinose substitution (avDS) of 0.09), wheat bran‐derived AXOS (avDP 9, avDS 0.34) or wheat endosperm alkali‐solubilised AX (S‐AX, avDP > 6000, avDS 0.5). RESULTS: All treatment groups showed an increase in the number of caecal bifidobacteria after 2 weeks of feeding (P < 0.05), while the treatments did not impact numbers of Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic lactobacilli in the caeca relative to the control. XOS led to a tremendous increase in caecal bifidobacteria counts (10⁸ g^?1 for the XOS treatment versus 10³ g^?1 for the control treatment) after only 1 week of supplementation, while AXOS and S‐AX led to similar strong increases in bifidobacteria counts after 2 weeks of supplementation. Addition of S‐AX to the diet, but not of AXOS or XOS, led to a significantly decreased (P < 0.05) body weight gain after 2 weeks of feeding relative to animals on the control diet, consistent with its known viscosity‐related antinutritive effects in chickens. CONCLUSION: Similar to XOS, AXOS selectively stimulate the presence of bifidobacteria in the caeca of chickens, establishing their bifidogenic effect as a first indicator for prebiotic potential. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry