In vitro evaluation method for screening of candidate prebiotic foods

•In vitro screening method for potential prebiotic foods was developed.•The JBOVS, JBO, and onion were nominated as candidate prebiotic foods.•Significant quantities of fructose-based carbohydrates were present in the JBOVS.•Increasing of acetate and lactate production was observed by JBOVS intake.•The JBOVS modulated the activities of the microbial community. The aim of this work was to develop a simple and rapid in vitro evaluation method for screening and discovery of uncharacterised and untapped prebiotic foods. Using a NMR-based metabolomic approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis, the metabolic profiles generated by intestinal microbiota after in vitro incubation with feces were examined. The viscous substances of Japanese bunching onion (JBOVS) were identified as one of the candidate prebiotic foods by this in vitro screening method. The JBOVS were primarily composed of sugar components, especially fructose-based carbohydrates. Our results suggested that ingestion of JBOVS contributed to lactate and acetate production by the intestinal microbiota, and were accompanied by an increase in the Lactobacillus murinus and Bacteroidetes sp. populations in the intestine and fluctuation of the host-microbial co-metabolic process. Therefore, our approach should be useful as a rapid and simple screening tool for potential prebiotic foods.