Effects of dietary caprine milk oligosaccharides enriched fraction on maternal large intestine and the consequences for the development of the offspring: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The colonisation of the neonate gastrointestinal tract by health-promoting microbiota is likely to improve the overall health of the infant and may also have health benefits in later life. Initial development and maturation of the foetal/neonatal gastrointestinal tract is heavily influenced by the in utero environment which itself, may be altered by the maternal diet and gastrointestinal tract microbiota composition. The maternal gastrointestinal tract microbiota can be altered by supplementation with synthetic oligosaccharides; however, positive effects on the health and well-being of the offspring have not been adequately established. Human milk contains natural oligosaccharides known to improve the gastrointestinal tract colonisation and the development and maturation of the infant gastrointestinal tract. Among domestic farm animals, caprine milk has oligosaccharides structurally similar to human milk and potentially similar beneficial effects for the infant. We hypothesised that feeding caprine milk oligosaccharide enriched product to pregnant and lactating mice would induce changes in the maternal large intestine microbiota and milk composition, accelerating the development and maturation of the offspring’s large intestine tissue and altering the gastrointestinal tract microbiota composition. The aim of this project was to obtain bifidobacteria from the faeces of breast-fed human infants and determine which were of capable fermenting caprine milk oligosaccharide enriched product. Subsequently, the effects of the best strains on the morphology and metabolic pathways of the colonic mucosa of germ-free and conventionally raised mice, supplemented with dietary caprine milk oligosaccharide enriched product.