title: Non-digestible oligosaccharides with prebiotic properties.
abstract: The search for functional foods or functional food ingredients, i.e. foods or food ingredients that can enhance health, is beyond any doubt one of the leading trends in today's food industry. In this context, probiotics, i.e. living microbial food supplements, and prebiotics, i.e. non-digestible food ingredients, receive much attention. Both popular concepts target the gastrointestinal microbiota. While in the Western world, intake of probiotics has been recommended for long, prebiotics in general, and non-digestible oligosaccharides in particular, have only recently received attention. This review deals with production and characterization of non-digestible oligosaccharides and focuses on their role in promoting health and treating diseases. Attention is paid to the effects of non-digestible oligosaccharides on constipation, mineral absorption, lipid metabolism, cancer prevention, hepatic encephalopathy, glycemia/insulinemia, and immunomodulation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001, Leuven, Belgium. katrien.swennen@agr.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Swennen
authors.forename: Christophe M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Courtin
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Delcour
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002845:Chromatography; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004063:Digestion; D004798:Enzymes; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004798:Enzymes; D009844:Oligosaccharides