Fibrobacter succinogenes HC4 for enhanced fiber digestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a limited number of digestive microorganisms capable of breaking down cellulose in the rumen and large intestine of mammals, leading to potential dysbiosis and associated health issues such as inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, obesity, and cancer, and these bacteria are sensitive to environmental changes.
Innovation Solution
The isolation and characterization of a Fibrobacter succinogenes strain, named HC4, which demonstrates high cellulolytic activity outside its original environment, improving fiber degradation and enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cellulolytic bacteria are used to break down cellulose in the digestive tract, then fiber degradation and short-chain fatty acid production are improved, but the bacteria become sensitive to environmental changes and nutritional management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physiological parameters of Fibrobacter succinogenes by inducing it to produce extracellular cellulolytic enzymes under controlled laboratory conditions. This parameter change enables the bacteria to maintain high cellulose degradation activity while being less sensitive to environmental variations in the actual digestive tract, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
2Productivity
If the number of cellulolytic bacteria is increased to improve fiber degradation, then short-chain fatty acid production increases, but dysbiosis and associated health issues may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the specific cellulolytic activity from the complex microbial community by using a defined strain of Fibrobacter succinogenes. This extraction allows the beneficial cellulose degradation function to be provided by a single, well-characterized organism, avoiding the dysbiosis risks associated with introducing diverse microbial communities while maintaining high fiber degradation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces Fibrobacter succinogenes as an intermediary organism that mediates between the dietary cellulose and the host's nutritional needs. This intermediary strain specifically degrades cellulose into short-chain fatty acids without disrupting the overall microbial ecosystem balance, thus improving fiber digestibility while avoiding dysbiosis-related health issues.
3Productivity
If cellulolytic bacteria are fed to herbivores and omnivores to improve health and performance, then energy provision and gastrointestinal function are enhanced, but the bacteria must adapt to different species and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops Fibrobacter succinogenes with universal functionality to operate across different host species (herbivores and omnivores). The bacteria's cellulolytic enzymes are designed to function effectively in various gastrointestinal environments, enabling the same strain to improve energy production and gastrointestinal health across multiple species without requiring species-specific adaptation, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The strain HC4 increases digestive fiber digestibility, leading to improved nutritional benefits, health, and zootechnical performance in mammals, including increased energy production and exercise performance, by enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids.
Implementation Method 1
Cellulose is a complex polysaccharide consisting of linked D-glucose units... cellulose can only be broken down by the enzymes produced by the microbiota
Implementation Method 2
Microbial cellulose utilization ultimately results in the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate, propionate and butyrate in the rumen and the colon of ruminants or in the large intestine of monogastrics
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a bacterial strain of Fibrobacter succinogenes and a composition thereof, and its use as a probiotic in order to improve the digestive fibrolysis.