A method of increasing one or more selected colonic bacterial populations in a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject a composition comprising fermentable soluble fiber.

The method of claim 1, wherein the fermentable soluble fiber is soluble corn fiber. Fermentable soluble fiberHeating an aqueous feed composition comprising at least one monosaccharide or linear saccharide oligomer and having a solids concentration of at least about 70% by weight to a temperature of at least about 40° C.; and cleaving the feed composition for glucosyl bond cleavage. Or contacting with at least one catalyst that accelerates the formation rate for a time sufficient to induce formation of the non-linear saccharide oligomer, The product composition is made to contain a higher concentration of non-linear saccharide oligomers than linear saccharide oligomers, The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the product composition comprises a non-linear saccharide oligomer having a degree of polymerization of at least 3 at a concentration of at least about 20% by weight based on dry solids. Fermentable soluble fiber contains a major amount of linear saccharide oligomers and non-linear saccharide oligomers based on dry solids,The concentration of the non-linear saccharide oligomer is higher than the concentration of the linear saccharide oligomer,

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the concentration of the non-linear saccharide oligomer having a degree of polymerization of at least 3 is at least about 20 wt% based on dry solids. The one or more bacterial populations are selected from the genus Parabacteroides, the genus Butyricicoccus, the genus Oscillibacter and the genus Diialista. The method according to paragraph 1.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Parabacteroides.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one or more bacterial populations are selected from Bacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter, and Dialista. 8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Bacteroides.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Butyricococcus.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Osylobacter.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Dilista. One or more bacterial populations may be Parabacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Alistipes, Anaerococcus, Catenobacteria, Clostridiales (Clostridiales).

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, selected from the genus within and the genus within the family Luminococcaceae.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the Bifidobacterium genus.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Alistipes.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Anaerococcus.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Catenibacterium.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from a genus within the order Clostridiales. 18. The method of any one of claims 1-17, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from a genus within the family Lumicoccaceae. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the one or more bacterial populations are selected from the genera Parabacteroides, Dialista, Akkermansia and genera within Lachnospiraceae.

20. The method of any one of claims 1-19, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Akermansia.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from a genus within Lachnospiraceae.

22. The method of any one of claims 1-21, wherein the one or more colonic bacterial populations are increased by at least about 10% relative to untreated subjects.

22. The method of any one of claims 1-21, wherein the one or more colonic bacterial populations are increased by at least about 50% relative to untreated subjects. 14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein each of the colonic bacterial populations is increased by at least about 10% relative to untreated subjects. 25. The method of any one of claims 1-24, wherein the administration is performed such that the pH of the excrement is reduced by at least about 1.5 pH units.

25. The method of any one of claims 1-24, wherein the administration is performed such that the pH of the excrement is reduced by at least about 2 pH units.

27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the pH of the excrement is reduced to about 5.5 or less. 27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the pH of the excrement is reduced to a value in the range of about 4 to about 5.

25. The method of any one of claims 1-24, wherein the administration is performed such that the pH of the excrement is reduced from at least about 7 to about 4.5. 30. The method of any one of claims 1 to 29, wherein increasing colonic bacterial population and/or decreasing pH increases mineral (eg calcium) bioavailability. 33. The method of any one of claims 1-32, wherein the method further increases mineral absorption in the subject.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the mineral is calcium.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the mineral is calcium, magnesium, and/or iron.

34. The method of any one of claims 31-33, wherein mineral absorption is increased by at least about 35% relative to untreated subjects.

35. The method of any one of claims 1 to 34, wherein the soluble corn fiber has a fiber content in the range of about 70% (w/w) to about 100% (w/w).

36. The method of any one of claims 1-35, wherein the soluble corn fiber has a monosaccharide and disaccharide content of less than about 20%. 37. The method of any one of claims 1 to 36, wherein the soluble corn fiber oligosaccharides have an average degree of polymerization in the range of about 5 to about 20. 38. The method of any one of claims 1 to 37, wherein the oligosaccharide portion of the soluble corn fiber remains substantially undigested in the subject's stomach and small intestine upon ingestion.

39. The method of any one of claims 1-38, wherein the soluble corn fiber is administered at a rate of at least about 2.5 g/day.

40. The method of any one of claims 1-39, wherein the soluble corn fiber is administered at a rate of at least about 10 g/day.

41. The method of any one of claims 1-40, wherein the soluble corn fiber is administered at a rate of about 100 g/day or less.

42. The method of any one of claims 1 to 41, wherein the soluble corn fiber is administered once daily.

42. The method of any one of claims 1 to 41, wherein the soluble corn fiber is administered twice or thrice daily. 44. The method of any one of claims 1-43, wherein the subject is a mammal. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the subject is a human.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the human is aged in the range of about 2 years to about 20 years. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the human is aged in the range of about 13 to about 19 years. 44. The method of any one of claims 1-43, wherein the subject is a human at least about 45 years old. 45. The method of any one of claims 1 to 44, wherein administration is for at least 2 weeks. 50. The method of any one of claims 1 to 49, wherein the composition comprises at least 2.5 g of soluble corn fiber per serving.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the composition comprises at least 3 g of soluble corn fiber per serving.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the composition comprises at least 4 g of soluble corn fiber per serving. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein the composition comprises at least 6 g of soluble corn fiber per serving. 54. The method of any one of claims 50-53, wherein the composition comprises 100 g or less of soluble corn fiber per serving. 55. The method of any one of claims 50-54, wherein the serving amount is at least about 75g. 56. The method of claim 55, wherein the serving amount is at least about 150 g. 57. The method of claim 56, wherein the serving size is about 1000 g or less. 58. The method of any one of claims 1-57, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 2.5% by weight. 59. The method of claim 58, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 3% by weight. 60. The method of claim 59, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 5% by weight. 61. The method of claim 60, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 10% by weight. 62. The method of any one of claims 58-61, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of about 75% or less by weight. 62. The method of any one of claims 58-61, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of about 50% or less by weight. An edible composition comprising one or more bacterial populations.

66. The edible composition according to claim 64, comprising one or more bacterial populations selected from Bacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Diarista. Including two or more bacterial populations,66. The edible composition according to claim 64, each from a different genus selected from the genera Bacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Diarista. Including three or more bacterial populations,

66. The edible composition according to claim 64, each from a different genus selected from the genera Bacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Diarista. 68. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 67, comprising one or more bacterial populations selected from the genus Parabacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Dialista. Including two or more bacterial populations,68. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 67, each of which is derived from a different genus selected from the genus Parabacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Diarista. Including two or more bacterial populations,6

8. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 67, each of which is derived from a different genus selected from the genus Parabacteroides, Butyricococcus, Osylobacter and Diarista. Parabacteroides genus, Bifidobacterium genus, Alistipes genus, Anaerococcus genus, Catenibacterium genus, within the genus Clostridiales, and one or more bacterial populations selected from genera within the family Lumicoccaceae,

71. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 70. Including two or more bacterial populations,Each derived from a different genus selected from the genus Parabacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Alistipes, Anaerococcus, Catenibacterium, Clostridiales, and Luminococcaceae. Item 71. The edible composition according to any one of items 64 to 70. Including three or more bacterial populations,Each derived from a different genus selected from the genera Parabacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Alistipes, Anaerococcus, Catenibacterium, Clostridiales, and Luminococcaceae. Item 71. The edible composition according to any one of items 64 to 70. 74. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 73, comprising one or more bacterial populations selected from Parabacteroides, Dilista, Akermansia, and genera within the family Lachnospiraceae. Including two or more bacterial populations,74. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 73, each of which is derived from a different genus selected from the genera Parabacteroides, Diarista, Akermansia, and genera within the family Lachnospiraceae. Including three or more bacterial populations,

74. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 73, each of which is derived from a different genus selected from the genera Parabacteroides, Diarista, Akermansia, and genera within the family Lachnospiraceae. 77. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 76, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Bacteroides. 78. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 77, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Parabacteroides. 79. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 78, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Alistipes. 80. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 79, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Bifidobacterium. 81. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 80, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Butyricococcus. 82. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 81, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Osylobacter. 83. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 82, wherein at least one of the one or more bacterial populations is from the genus Dialista.

84. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 83, wherein the edible composition is free of fermentable soluble fiber. 84. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 83, further comprising fermentable soluble fiber. 84. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 83, further comprising soluble corn fiber. 87. The edible composition of claim 86, wherein the composition comprises at least 2.5 g of soluble corn fiber per serving.

87. The edible composition of claim 86, wherein the composition comprises at least 6 g of soluble corn fiber per serving.

87. The comestible composition of claim 86, wherein the composition comprises no more than about 100 g of soluble corn fiber per serving.

90. The edible composition of any one of claims 86-89, wherein the serving size is at least about 75 g.

91. The comestible composition of any one of claims 86-90, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 2.5% by weight.

91. The edible composition of any one of claims 86-90, wherein the composition comprises soluble corn fiber in an amount of at least about 10% by weight. 93. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 92, wherein the composition further comprises one or more mineral species. 94. The edible composition according to claim 93, wherein the mineral species is a calcium salt.

95. The comestible composition of claim 93 or claim 94, wherein the mineral species is provided in a dose or in an amount of mineral of at least about 50 mg per serving.

96. The edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 95, wherein the composition is provided in the form of a food composition. Food compositions include baked goods, breakfast cereals, dairy products, bean products, confectionery products, jams and jellies, drinks (powdered and/or liquid), shakes, fillings, yogurt (dairy yogurt and non-dairy yogurt), kefir. (Kefire), extruded snacks and sheet snacks, gelatin desserts, snack bars, meal substitutes and energy bars, cheese and cheese sauces (dairy cheese and non-dairy cheese), edible and water-soluble films, soups, syrups, tabletops A form selected from sweeteners, nutritional supplements, sauces, dressings, creamers, icing, ice cream, frosting, glazes, pet food, tortillas, meats and fish, dried fruits, baby foods, and dough and clothing. The edible composition according to claim 96.

98. An edible composition according to any one of claims 64 to 97, wherein the food composition is in the form of an agglomerated powder, a nutritional supplement or a medical dosage form. 64. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 63, which is carried out with the edible composition according to any of claims 64 to 98.