Abstract
Aguamiel is a natural sap produced by some species of agave plants, such as Agave salmiana, A. atrovirens, or A. angustifolia. It is a product with a high concentration of fructose, glucose or sucrose, although its composition may vary depending on the season in which it is produced, and may also contain agave fructans (or agavins) or fructooligosaccharides (FOS). It has been reported that FOS can be produced by enzymes that act on sucrose or inulin, transfructosylating or hydrolyzing these materials, respectively. Due to the sugar content in aguamiel, the application of an enzymatic complex produced by Aspergillus oryzae DIA MF was carried out. This complex was characterized by 1-D electrophoresis SDS-PAGE, and its transfructosylation and hydrolysis activities were determined by HPLC. In order to determine the conditions at which the concentration of FOS in this beverage increased, kinetics were carried out at different temperatures (30, 50, and 70°C) and times (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 15 h). Finally, the antioxidant and prebiotic activities were evaluated. FOS concentration in aguamiel was increased from 1.61 ± 0.08 to 31.01 ± 3.42 g/ L after 10 h reaction at 30°C applying 10% enzymatic fraction-substrate (v/v). Antioxidant activity was highly increased (34.81–116.46 mg/eq Trolox in DPPH assay and 42.65 to 298.86 mg/eq Trolox in FRAP assay) and growth of probiotic bacteria was higher in aguamiel after the enzymatic treatment. In conclusion, after the application of the enzymatic treatment, aguamiel was enriched with FOS which improved antioxidant and prebiotic properties, so it can be used as a functional food.
Highlights
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are oligosaccharides composed of fructose monomers linked to a glucose with a polymerization degree (DP) from three to ten; these oligosaccharides have β-2,1 or β2,6 linkages in its structure
Extracts obtained from aguamiel showed FOS production with extracts obtained at 24 and 30 h; this behavior was similar to the activities that Muñiz-Marquez et al [17] reported, where the maximum fructosyltransferase activity was between 24 and 32 h of fermentation using A. oryzae DIA-MF
The extracts obtained from agavins fermentation showed FOS production at longer times (36 and 48 h) compared to that obtained from aguamiel, and the best FOS producer was the extract obtained at 48 h of fermentation at high-level agavins concentration
Summary
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are oligosaccharides composed of fructose monomers linked to a glucose with a polymerization degree (DP) from three to ten; these oligosaccharides have β-2,1 or β2,6 linkages in its structure. Due to the linkages they have, FOS can be eaten and reach the intestine intact because the digestive system cannot metabolize them; once they reach the intestine, the microbiota uses them as a substrate, classifying them as prebiotics [2]. After these compounds are used by the microbiota as a substrate, bacteria like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium produce compounds to regulate cholesterol and triglycerides, increasing the mineral absorption in the intestine, and to regulate the production of diverse cytokines and immunoglobulin A, reducing the risk of developing colon cancer. It has been reported that some FOS from the grain of Coix lachryma-jobi Linn can bring antioxidant activity 0.97-fold higher than of vitamin C [2,3,4,5,6]
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