The influence of the chemical structure of oligosaccharides on the fermentability by intestinal bacteria
1997
Laere, K.M.J. van | Schols, H.A. | Beldman, G. | Voragen, A.G.J. (Wageningen Agricultural Univ. (Netherlands). Dept. of Food Technology and Nutritional Sciences)
Ingestion of non-digestible oligosaccharides is claimed to increase the bifidobacteria population in the colon and thereby should contribute to the human health. For this reason already, a whole range of structurally different oligosaccharides are commercially produced. Also the structural diversity of plant cell wall polysaccharides offers potentials for the production of new oligosaccharides. The oligosaccharides formed by enzymatic hydrolyses or transferase reactions can be separated acid analysed using HPAEC, although identification of unknown products is still a challenge using this method. Recent developments more and more allow on-line identification of oligosaccharides in mixtures, but sofar real identification of unknown compounds mostel occurs by NMR-spectroscopy after purification of the oligosaccharides. HPAEC is a useful method to study the degradative fermentation of oligosaccharides by intestinal bacteria and allows to monitore the extent of fermentation and the degradation products formed. These studies showed that the oligosaccharides tested were not selectively fermented by bifidobacteria. High levels of different glycosidases were produced by different intestinal bacteria after growth on oligosaccharides and also some new glycosidases were induced. The in vitro results suggest that after supplementation of oligosaccharides in vivo, different intestinal bacteria adapt their metabolism for the breakdown of oligosaccharides and increase their saccharolytic capacity improving further breakdown of complex carbohydrates present in food.
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