Longitudinal VOCs profiling by direct-injection mass spectrometry reveals the interaction between the gut microbiota and dietary fibers in-vitro

Longitudinal VOCs profiling by direct-injection mass spectrometry reveals the interaction between the gut microbiota and dietary fibers in-vitro | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Longitudinal VOCs profiling by direct-injection mass spectrometry reveals the interaction between the gut microbiota and dietary fibers in-vitro Andrea Dell'Olio, Josep Rubert, Iuliia Khomenko, Vittorio Capozzi, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5367672/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Intestinal fermentation is a complex process with profound implications for human health, driven by the production of metabolites, particularly volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that influence gut microbiota-host interactions. Advances in omics approaches have enhanced our understanding of temporal dynamics in diet-microbiota interactions. The development of direct injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) has enabled rapid, non-invasive characterization of volatile metabolites within microbial ecosystems, offering a promising approach for longitudinal profiling of the human gut volatilome in response to dietary substrates. In this study, we utilized Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) to analyze VOCs produced during colonic fermentation, examining the effects of dietary fibers such as oat bran and inulin. Hierarchical clustering grouped VOC profiles over time, revealing distinct fermentation patterns associated with each substrate. We further applied RM-ASCA, a multivariate method for repeated measurements, to identify key VOCs driving differences between oat bran and inulin fermentations. Notably, oat bran fermentation significantly suppressed hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol compounds often linked to gut inflammation, suggesting a protective role in reducing these sulfur metabolites. Additionally, oat bran fermentation was marked by the release of 2,3-butanedione, a metabolite associated with fiber-rich diets in vivo. To validate our findings, we compared the PTR-ToF-MS volatilome fingerprints with those obtained using SPME-GC-MS, a reference method from our previous study. Our results demonstrate that PTR-ToF-MS is a rapid, non-invasive tool well-suited for high-throughput analysis of fecal batch fermentations. Combined with advanced statistical tools, this approach provides deeper insights into diet-gut microbiota interactions in vitro, facilitating the exploration of complex dynamics in gut health research. Biological sciences/Biotechnology/Metabolomics Health sciences/Gastroenterology/Gastrointestinal system Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementarymaterialforlongitudinalVOCsmonitoringbyDIMS3.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5367672","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":382222013,"identity":"4f1db1db-d3e1-48b8-8351-7ca8695a3d24","order_by":0,"name":"Andrea Dell'Olio","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wageningen University \u0026 Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andrea","middleName":"","lastName":"Dell'Olio","suffix":""},{"id":382222014,"identity":"43c8ee21-6554-419e-a8c3-fcdb90bf6632","order_by":1,"name":"Josep Rubert","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wageningen University \u0026 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