Quantitative optimization and assessments of supplemented fructooligosaccharides in dry dog food

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in dry dog food on the populations of microflora, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, fecal protein catabolites and fecal quality in puppies. The microbial results of the animal experiments illustrated that both 0.75% FOS and 1.00% FOS increased the amounts of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, however only 1.00% FOS had the ability to reduce Escherichia coli amounts, which decreased to 4.15 lg cfu per g from 5.76 lg cfu per g of feces. SCFA results indicated that a significant increase could be made with the 0.50% FOS treatment when compared to the control. Protein catabolite results showed that 0.75% FOS decreased the fecal indole amounts significantly, to 0.29 μmol g⁻¹ from 0.36 μmol g⁻¹ of feces. Meanwhile, significant decreases of fecal phenol production were noted for the three levels of FOS. Fecal quality results showed that compared with the control, the 0.75% FOS and 1.00% FOS supplementations resulted in a significant increase of fecal scores with no significant difference between them. From the findings, it can be concluded that FOS, when used at concentrations higher than 0.75% of diet, can have a positive effect in modulating the puppy intestinal ecosystem.