title: Biotechnological production and application of fructooligosaccharides.
abstract: Currently, prebiotics are all carbohydrates of relatively short chain length. One important group is the fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a special kind of prebiotic associated to the selective stimulation of the activity of certain groups of colonic bacteria. They have a positive and beneficial effect on intestinal microbiota, reducing the incidence of gastrointestinal infections and also possessing a recognized bifidogenic effect. Traditionally, these prebiotic compounds have been obtained through extraction processes from some plants, as well as through enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose. However, different fermentative methods have also been proposed for the production of FOS, such as solid-state fermentations utilizing various agro-industrial by-products. By optimizing the culture parameters, FOS yields and productivity can be improved. The use of immobilized enzymes and cells has also been proposed as being an effective and economic method for large-scale production of FOS. This article is an overview of the results considering recent studies on FOS biosynthesis, physicochemical properties, sources, biotechnological production and applications.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science and Technology , School of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila , Saltillo , Coahuila , México and.
authors.forename: Dulce A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Flores-Maltos
authors.affiliation: b Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (IBB), Centre of Biological Engineering, Universidade do Minho , Braga , Portugal.
authors.forename: Solange I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Mussatto
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science and Technology , School of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila , Saltillo , Coahuila , México and.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Contreras-Esquivel
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science and Technology , School of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila , Saltillo , Coahuila , México and.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Herrera
authors.affiliation: b Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (IBB), Centre of Biological Engineering, Universidade do Minho , Braga , Portugal.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science and Technology , School of Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila , Saltillo , Coahuila , México and.
authors.forename: Cristóbal N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Aguilar
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; C116580:fructooligosaccharide
keywords: Fructooligosaccharides; fructosyltransferase; functional foods; inulin; prebiotics