Fructooligosaccharides: a review.
Fructooligosaccharides are naturally occurring compounds that have been reported in a variety of plants. Neosugar is a fructooligosaccharide mixture of 1F-(1-beta-fructofuranosyl)-sucrose polymers which is produced on a commercial scale from sucrose using a fungal fructosyltransferase. The resulting product is 0.4 to 0.6 times as sweet as sugar and is resistant to digestion by mammalian alpha-amylase, sucrase and maltase. Although Neosugar is non-digestible in humans, it is selectively utilized by bifidobacteria. Neosugar has been examined extensively in human and animal studies which indicate a lack of toxicity, carcinogenicity and genotoxic effects. Neosugar is used as a feed additive for poultry and swine in Japan and has been approved in foods as a raw material. Additional studies in progress in the US suggest that it could provide an economic alternative as an additive to poultry and swine feed.
Fishbein
L
L
ENVIRON Corporation, Washington, DC 20007.
Kaplan
M
M
Gough
M
M
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
D009844:Oligosaccharides; D013549:Sweetening Agents; C042636:neosugar