Oligosaccharide Content Research Articles

Lactational changes in the human milk oligosaccharide concentration in Chinese and Malaysian mothers' milk

Oligosaccharides are important components of human breast milk with bioefficacy as prebiotics, anti-infectives and immune system modulators, and as a source of sialic acid for neural function and development. Recently, human milk oligosaccharides have been synthesised artificially as ingredients for commercial use, in infant formulae. However, incorporation of human milk oligosaccharides into paediatric foods requires a prior understanding of variations in the levels of oligosaccharides in human breastmilk – between individuals, populations, and lactational stages. In this study, seven acidic [3′-sialyl lactose, 6′-sialyl lactose, 6′-sialyl lactosamine, 3′-sialyl-3-fucosyllactose, disialyl lactose, LS-tetrasaccharide a/b and LS-tetrasaccharide c] and five neutral [lacto-N-neotetraose, lacto-N-tetraose, lacto-N-fucopentaose (total), 2′-fucosyllactose and 3-fucosyllactose] oligosaccharides from the breast milk of Chinese and Malaysian mothers were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, with an internal standard, in multiple reaction monitoring mode. In addition, the changes in the HMOs at an individual level were monitored across lactation.

Thoroughbred mare's milk exhibits a unique and diverse free oligosaccharide profile.

The Thoroughbred is among the most valuable horse breeds, and its husbandry is a major industry. Mare's milk plays a major role in the health of neonatal foals. Although the main components of mare's milk are broadly characterized, free oligosaccharides (OS), which possess various bioactivities in many mammalian milks, have not been fully profiled in Thoroughbreds. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify OS in Thoroughbred mare's milk during the first week of lactation, when foals typically consume mare's milk exclusively. A total of 48 OS structures (including isomers and anomers), corresponding to 20 unique compositions, were identified by nano LC‐Chip QToF‐MS and confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry. Neutral OS were the most abundant glycans (58.3%), followed by acidic OS containing Neu5Ac (33.3%), a minor presence of fucosylated OS structures (6.25%) and one structure containing NeuGc (2.1%). Comparison with other well‐characterized mammalian milks revealed that mare's milk shared 8 OS structures with human, bovine, pig and goat milk (i.e., 2 sialyllactose isomers, 3 hexose, LNH, LNT, and OS with the composition 3 Hex‐1 Neu5Ac). Additionally, there were seven unique OS not previously found in other mammal milks. During the first 7 days of lactation, the percentage of neutral and fucosylated OS increased, whereas acidic OS decreased and the total OS concentration ranged from 217.8 mg·L−1 to 79.8 mg·L−1.

Inefficient Metabolism of the Human Milk Oligosaccharides Lacto-N-tetraose and Lacto-N-neotetraose Shifts Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis Physiology.

Human milk contains a high concentration of indigestible oligosaccharides, which likely mediated the coevolution of the nursing infant with its gut microbiome. Specifically, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) often colonizes the infant gut and utilizes these human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) to enrich their abundance. In this study, the physiology and mechanisms underlying B. infantis utilization of two HMO isomers lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) was investigated in addition to their carbohydrate constituents. Both LNT and LNnT utilization induced a significant shift in the ratio of secreted acetate to lactate (1.7–2.0) in contrast to the catabolism of their component carbohydrates (~1.5). Inefficient metabolism of LNnT prompts B. infantis to shunt carbon toward formic acid and ethanol secretion. The global transcriptome presents genomic features differentially expressed to catabolize these two HMO species that vary by a single glycosidic linkage. Furthermore, a measure of strain-level variation exists between B. infantis isolates. Regardless of strain, inefficient HMO metabolism induces the metabolic shift toward formic acid and ethanol production. Furthermore, bifidobacterial metabolites reduced LPS-induced inflammation in a cell culture model. Thus, differential metabolism of milk glycans potentially drives the emergent physiology of host-microbial interactions to impact infant health.

Characterization and Quantification of Oligosaccharides in Human Milk and Infant Formula.

Oligosaccharides are known to affect the health of infants. The analysis of these complex molecules in (human) milk samples requires state-of-the-art techniques. This study analyzed the composition and concentration of oligosaccharides in early (day 3) and mature (day 42) human milk as well as in five different infant formula brands. The oligosaccharide content decreased in human milk from 9.15 ± 0.25 g/L at day 3 to 6.38 ± 0.29 g/L at day 42 of lactation. All formulas resulted to be fortified with galacto-oligosaccharides, with one also fortified with polydextrose and another with long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. About 130 unique oligosaccharide structures were identified in the human milk samples, whereas infant formula contained less diversity of structures. The comparisons indicated that composition and abundance of oligosaccharides unique to human milk are not yet reproduced in infant formulas. The analytical workflow developed is suitable for the determination of prebiotic oligosaccharides in foods that contain diverse carbohydrate structures.

Structural characterization and inhibition on α-glucosidase of a novel oligosaccharide from barley malt

The barley was used as material. The effects of germination time on the inhibition on α-glucosidase and saccharides properties of barley malt were explored. The inhibition on α-glucosidase of crude saccharides was the highest and the proportion of low molecular weight saccharides was the highest (86.72%) in 4 d. A novel oligosaccharide was separated from the crude saccharides of 4 d with column chromatography. The structure of the oligosaccharide was analyzed with HPLC, MALDI-TOF-MS, FT-IR, NMR. The oligosaccharide was α-pyran glucosan which composed of four glucoses with (1 → 3) linkage. And its specific optical rotation and molecular weight were +45° and 666 Da, respectively. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of crude oligosaccharide, pure oligosaccharide and acarbose were 1.30 mg/mL, 0.48 mg/mL and 0.26 mg/mL, respectively. All the results demonstrated that the pure oligosaccharide has in vitro inhibition on α-glucosidase. The achievement of this study not only developed a new oligosaccharide but only demonstrated the inhibition on α-glucosidase. It provided new orientation on development of barley and had significant importance to the utilization of barley.

Safety and efficacy of Bacillus subtilis KCCM 10673P and Aspergillus oryzae KCTC 10258BP when used as a technological feed additive for all animal species.

The additive consists of single strains of Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus oryzae, to be used in combination as a technological additive (proposed functional group: Substances for the reduction of anti‐nutritional factors) in feed materials for all animal species. An opinion on the two microorganisms was published previously. At this time, the safety of the B. subtilis strain for target animals, consumers, users and the environment was established, but no conclusions could be draw on the safety of the strain of A. oryzae for the target species and consumers or on the efficacy of the additive in reducing anti‐nutritional factors. This opinion considers new information intended to address the identified deficiencies in the previous opinion. An extensive analytical search for secondary metabolites was made of the A. oryzae component of the additive and 15 metabolites were detected and quantified. Of the 15 metabolites, 13 occurred in ng/g additive concentrations and were considered not to be of concern. The remaining two compounds, cyclic dipeptides (2,5‐diketopiperazines), were detected at concentrations up to 1.5 mg/kg. Both have been identified in a wide range of foods and beverages and there appears to be no reports of adverse reactions to such cyclic dipeptides in processed food. Consequently, none of the metabolites detected were considered likely to cause adverse effects in target animals fed treated feed material or in consumers of products derived from such animals. Data from the analysis of 18 batches of soybean before and after treatment with the two strains were presented in support of the efficacy of the additive. Two classes of anti‐nutritional factors were considered; oligosaccharides of the raffinose series and trypsin inhibitor. The microbial strains in combination were able to substantially reduce the concentration of oligosaccharides and trypsin inhibitor naturally present in soybean. Other feed materials were not considered.

B vitamins and prebiotic fructooligosaccharides of cashew apple fermented with probiotic strains Lactobacillus spp., Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Bifidobacterium longum

Abstract Five strains of probiotic; Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Bifidobacterium longum were targeted for enhancing B-group vitamins and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) of cashew apple juice (CAJ) that is an underutilized byproduct from cashew nut processing. Although fermentation by Lb. acidophilus and Lb. casei resulted in increasing B-group vitamins contents (19.25% and 23.11%, respectively) than fermented CAJ with others probiotic, vitamin B2 levels of fermented CAJ were not different significantly. Results also indicated total sugar contents of fructose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, melibiose, and maltotriose were decreased during 48 h of fermentation. The CAJ fermented with Lb. acidophilus and Lb. plantarum had higher oligosaccharide contents (RFO and FOS). The CAJ fermented with Lb. acidophilus had the highest FOS of 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3) and 1F-β-fructofuranosyl nystose (GF4), whereas fermented with Lb. plantarum had the highest RFO (raffinose and stachyose). These results suggest that fermented CAJ could serve as a new prebiotic source with B-group vitamins for functional foods and nutraceutical applications for further human health application.

Quantifying the binding stoichiometry and affinity of histo-blood group antigen oligosaccharides for human noroviruses.

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis. Many HuNoVs recognize histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as cellular receptors or attachment factors for infection. It was recently proposed that HuNoV recognition of HBGAs involves a cooperative, multistep binding mechanism that exploits both known and previously unknown glycan binding sites. In this study, binding measurements, implemented using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) were performed on homodimers of the protruding domain (P dimers) of the capsid protein of three HuNoV strains [Saga (GII.4), Vietnam 026 (GII.10) and VA387 (GII.4)] with the ethyl glycoside of the B trisaccharide (α-d-Gal-(1→3)-[α-l-Fuc-(1→2)]-β-d-Gal-OC2H5) and free B type 1 tetrasaccharide (α-d-Gal-(1→3)-[α-l-Fuc-(1→2)]-β-d-Gal-(1→3)-d-GlcNAc) in an effort to confirm the existence of new HBGA binding sites. After correcting the mass spectra for nonspecific interactions that form in ESI droplets as they evaporate to dryness, all three P dimers were found to bind a maximum of two B trisaccharides at the highest concentrations investigated. The apparent affinities measured for stepwise binding of B trisaccharide suggest positive cooperativity. Similar results were obtained for B type 1 tetrasaccharide binding to Saga P dimer. Based on these results, it is proposed that HuNoV P dimers possess only two HBGA binding sites. It is also shown that nonspecific binding corrections applied to mass spectra acquired using energetic ion source conditions that promote in-source dissociation can lead to apparent HuNoV-HBGA oligosaccharide binding stoichiometries and affinities that are artificially high. Finally, evidence that high concentrations of oligosaccharide can induce conformational changes in HuNoV P dimers is presented.

Hydrothermal treatment of chestnut shells (Castanea sativa) to produce oligosaccharides and antioxidant compounds

Hydrothermal treatment is an environmentally friendly technology that allows the solubilisation of hemicellulosic oligosaccharides with potential for their use as prebiotics. The purpose of this study was to solubilize oligosaccharides and antioxidant compounds from chestnut shells by a hydrothermal processing. The highest content of oligosaccharides (18.3 g/L), with a relatively low level of monosaccharides (2.4 g/L) and degradation products (0.5 g/L) was obtained at 180 °C (severity of 3.08). In addition, the liquors presented a high content of phenolic and flavonoid compounds with good antioxidant properties. The GC–MS revealed that the most abundant phenolic compound was pyrogallol (13.2%). The molecular weight distribution of the solubilization products showed that a 26.5% presented an apparent Mw of 6077 g/mol and a 73.5% presented an apparent Mw of 586 g/mol with a high polydispersity index. MALDI-TOF, FTIR, and TGA analyses revealed structural information of these compounds and their thermal stability.

Obtaining and application of increased food and biological value iodinated products from lentils sprouted grain

The choice of research direction is related to the actual problem of production and distribution of functional purpose food products due to the spread of nutritional diseases and the lack of micronutrients in ordinary people and athletes diet. As an object for enrichment with iodine, it was suggested to use lentils, which is famous for its high protein content, low lipid and oligosaccharide content, and low inhibitory effect. The iodine accumulation occurs during germination, due to the use of a nutrient solution of the iodine inorganic form. In addition, the biochemical composition of the grain and the biological value of lentils are significantly improved: an increase in the content of total amino acids and vitamins is found to be 1.5-2.0 times, a mass fraction of the oligosaccharide fraction is observed. To determine the effect of technological processing on the degree of iodine conservation in lentils the grains were exposed to the following impact: grinding, extrusion, frying. An insignificant decrease in the amount of iodine during extrusion was noted and more significant one - during grinding. The obtained results of the determination of biological safety by the method of studying the effect of the investigated product on the growth response of ciliates allowed to confirm the safety of both fresh and dried sprouted grain of lentils. When studying the microbiology of grain by sowing on agarized selective diagnostic environments with subsequent identification of the qualitative and quantitative composition of microflora, including colony-forming units, deviations from the normative indices were not revealed. Experimental production of the extrudate was carried out, possible ways of its use in meat systems for improving the functional and technological properties of minced meat, as well as for independent use as snacks for the nutrition of athletes were suggested.

Diversity of γ- glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides, the "kokumi" taste enhancers, in seeds from soybean mini core collections.

Soybeans (Glycine max (L,) Merr,) contain γ-glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides, and these components play an important role in imparting the "kokumi" taste to foods. To gain insight into the genetic diversities and molecular mechanisms of accumulation of γ-glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides in soybean, we measured the contents of these components using the Japan and World mini core collections. Similar to other previously reported traits, wide variations were detected among the accessions in the core collections with respect to the content of γ-glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides. We found a positive relationship between the content of γ-glutamyl tyrosine and γ-glutamyl phenylalanine and between the content of raffinose and stachyose. Furthermore, there were unique accessions that included high levels of γ-glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides. These accessions may be helpful in understanding the accumulation mechanism of γ-glutamyl peptides and oligosaccharides and to increase the "kokumi" taste components in soybean by performing a genetic analysis.

Genetic Architecture of Dietary Fiber and Oligosaccharide Content in a Middle American Panel of Edible Dry Bean.

Common bean ( L.) is the most consumed edible grain legume worldwide and contains a wide range of nutrients for human health including dietary fiber. Diets high in beans are associated with lower rates of chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and the content of dietary fibers varies among different market classes of dry bean. In this study, we evaluated the dietary fiber content in a Middle American diversity panel (MDP) of common bean and evaluated the genetic architecture of the various dietary fiber components. The dietary fiber components included insoluble and soluble dietary fibers as well as the antinutritional raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs; raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose). All variables measured differed among market classes and entries. Colored bean seeds had higher levels of insoluble dietary fibers with the black market class showing also the highest raffinose and stachyose content. Cultivars and lines released since 1997 had higher insoluble dietary fibers and RFO content in race Durango. Higher levels of RFOs were also observed in cultivars with type II growth habit that was a recent breeding target in Durango race germplasm. Candidate genes for dietary fiber traits, especially homologs to two main genes in the RFO biosynthesis pathway, were identified. The knowledge of diversity of dietary fibers in the MDP accompanied with the identification of candidate genes could effectively improve dietary fiber components in common bean.

Simultaneous Analysis of Saccharides between Fresh and Processed Radix Rehmanniae by HPLC and UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Radix Rehmanniae (RR) is a kind of herb which is widely used in the clinical and food processing industry. There are four forms of RR used in traditional Chinese medicine practice, which include fresh RR (FRR), raw RR (RRR), processed RR (PRR), and another processed RR (APRR), in which the APRR was processed by nine cycles of repeated steaming and drying. There are a large number of saccharides in RR. However, the differences in content were shown by different processing methods. In this study, an effective method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to rapidly distinguish different RR samples and validate the proposed chemical conversion mechanism. The datasets of the content of saccharides were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that there different changes occurred in the contents of saccharides corresponding to the different processing methods, in which the contents of monosaccharides—namely arabinose, glucose, mannose, and galactose—had an increasing trend or remained relatively stable. However, the contents of fructose and oligosaccharides, including manninotriose, melibiose, sucrose, and raffinose, first increased and then reduced, or gradually decreased, yet the content of stachyose gradually decreased. The MSn data indicated that manninotriose, melibiose, and some monosaccharides were produced by the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides. In addition, the fragmentation pathways of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) derivatization of monosaccharides were also found that its glycosidic bond was first broken and subsequently its inside ring broke, and the characteristic fragment ions were produced at m/z 511.22, 493.20, 373.16, and 175.08 in the PMP derivatization of monosaccharides. In conclusion, this study illustrates the change and chemical conversion mechanism of saccharides by processing in RR samples which might play a key role in further application of RR.

Short communication: Development of a rapid laboratory method to polymerize lactose to nondigestible carbohydrates

Nondigestible carbohydrates with a degree of polymerization between 3 and 10 (oligosaccharides) are commonly used as dietary fiber ingredients in the food industry, once they have been confirmed to have positive effects on human health by regulatory authorities. These carbohydrates are produced through chemical or enzymatic synthesis. Polylactose, a polymerization product of lactose and glucose, has been produced by reactive extrusion using a twin-screw extruder, with citric acid as the catalyst. Trials using powdered cheese whey permeate as the lactose source for this reaction were unsuccessful. The development of a laboratory method was necessary to investigate the effect of ingredients present in permeate powder that could be inhibiting polymerization. A Mars 6 Microwave Digestion System (CEM Corp., Matthews, NC) was used to heat and polymerize the sugars. The temperatures had to be lowered from extrusion conditions to produce a caramel-like product and not decompose the sugars. Small amounts of water had to be added to the reaction vessels to allow consistent heating of sugars between vessels. Elevated levels of water (22.86 and 28.57%, vol/wt) and calcium phosphate (0.928 and 1.856%, wt/wt) reduced the oligosaccharide yield in the laboratory method. Increasing the citric acid (catalyst) concentration increased the oligosaccharide yield for the pure sugar blend and when permeate powder was used. The utility of the laboratory method to predict oligosaccharide yields was confirmed during extrusion trials of permeate when this increased acid catalyst concentration resulted in similar oligosaccharide concentrations.

Differences in the dietary fiber content of fruits and their by-products quantified by conventional and integrated AOAC official methodologies

Accurate determination of total dietary fiber (DF) and its soluble (SDF) and insoluble (IDF) fractions is relevant for food analysis research and nutritional labelling. AOAC integrated DF methodology (AOAC 2011.25, IM) has procedure differences compared to the traditionally used AOAC method (991.43, TM), resulting in different DF quantification. However, IM has been mostly performed for cereal-based products and its application in sources such as fruit products needs to be studied. The aim of this study was to compare the DF content obtained by TM with that achieved using IM in pulps and peels of banana (Musa paradisiaca), mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota), mango (Mangifera indica), Meyer lemon (Citrus meyeri), orange (Citrus sinensis), prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). Samples containing high starch (banana and its peel, mamey sapote and mango pulp) showed higher IDF values when IM was used. Differences were observed when pectinaceous fruits (orange, Meyer lemon, mango and prickly pear) were assayed, since soluble and insoluble pectins are underestimated by TM. Fruits with a high content of non-digestible oligosaccharides showed higher SDF values when assayed by IM. The use of IM in fruits and their by-products provides relevant information about DF fractions and reduces DF underestimations typically observed when assayed by TM.

Effects of fermented soybean meal on carbon and nitrogen metabolisms in large intestine of piglets

Fermented soybean meal (FSM), which has lower anti-nutritional factors and higher active enzyme, probiotic and oligosaccharide contents than its unfermented form, has been reported to improve the feeding value of soybean meal, and hence, the growth performance of piglets. However, whether FSM can affect the bacterial and metabolites in the large intestine of piglets remains unknown. This study supplemented wet-FSM (WFSM) or dry-FSM (DFSM) (5% dry matter basis) in the diet of piglets and investigated its effects on carbon and nitrogen metabolism in the piglets’ large intestines. A total of 75 41-day-old Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire piglets with an initial BW of 13.14±0.22 kg were used in a 4-week feeding trial. Our results showed that the average daily gain of piglets in the WFSM and DFSM groups increased by 27.08% and 14.58% and that the feed conversion ratio improved by 18.18% and 7.27%, respectively, compared with the control group. Data from the prediction gene function of Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing showed that carbohydrate metabolism function families in the WFSM and DFSM groups increased by 3.46% and 2.68% and that the amino acid metabolism function families decreased by 1.74% and 0.82%, respectively, compared with the control group. These results were consistent with those of other metabolism studies, which showed that dietary supplementation with WFSM and DFSM increased the level of carbohydrate-related metabolites (e.g. 4-aminobutanoate, 5-aminopentanoate, lactic acid, mannitol, threitol and β-alanine) and decreased the levels of those related to protein catabolism (e.g. 1,3-diaminopropane, creatine, glycine and inosine). In conclusion, supplementation with the two forms of FSM improved growth performance, increased metabolites of carbohydrate and reduced metabolites of protein in the large intestine of piglets, and WFSM exhibited a stronger effect than DFSM.

Effect of trophic support on the dynamics of growth processes and carbohydrate content of winter wheat sprouts under vernalization

The influence of contrasting conditions of trophic support of vernalization on the growth reaction and dynamics of the content of various fractions of soluble carbohydrates of sprouts of two winter wheat varieties Statna and Doridna were studied. In experiments, the contrasting trophic conditions of vernalization were created by adding 3% sucrose solution, as well as isolation of endosperm, a natural reserve of carbohydrates and biologically active substances. It was shown that optimal conditions of trophic support (integral seeds + water) determined the maximum linear growth and accumulation of sprouts biomass during vernalization. The excess of exogenous sugars (integral seeds + 3% sucrose solution) inhibited growth processes. However, the deficit of trophic factors (isolated buds + 3% sucrose solution) also inhibited growth and the lack of trophic support (isolated buds + water) completely inhibited growth and accumulation of sprouts biomass during 45 days of vernalization. It was established that the dynamics of changes in soluble carbohydrates content in winter wheat sprouts also depended on the trophic support level of vernalization and correlated with changes of growth reaction. It was shown the oligosaccharide content was significantly higher than monosaccharide content of sprouts of all the variants of both varieties during the entire period of vernalization. In view of the fact that monosaccharides are the most metabolically active carbohydrates, they are probably spent as much as possible at the first stages of vernalization (15–30 days). It is discussed that different level of trophic support is able to be one of the important factors of genetic and/or epigenetic regulation of Triticum aestivum L. Thus, changes in metabolic processes, in particular carbohydrate metabolism, can effect on the reduction of VRN genes expression, which are the target of epigenetic regulation, and as a result, on the ability of soft wheat plants to flower. It is assumed that the regulatory role of carbohydrates in vernalization process can be realized only at the optimal level of trophic support.

Purification of Endoxylanase from Bacillus pumilus B20 for Production of Prebiotic Xylooligosaccharide Syrup; An In vitro Study.

Background: The need for more cost-effective compounds is imperative because the demand for prebiotic compounds is ever on the rise. Objective: The focus of this study is the purification of the endoxylanase from Bacillus pumilus B20 and its application in a cost-effective production of the prebiotic xylooligosaccharide (XOS) syrup having a high concentration of oligosaccharides. Materials and Methods: The extracellular endoxylanase was purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE anion exchange, and Sephacryl gel filtration chromatography. The enzymatically produced XOS was used in the preparation of XOS syrup adopting the method of ultrafiltration with 10 and 3 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membranes. Culture-dependent technique for the bacterial enumeration using selective probiotic microorganisms in an in vitro analysis was employed to confirm the prebiotic nature of XOS syrup. Results: The molecular mass of the purified xylanase (XylB) was found to be approximately 85 kDa with the optimum pH and temperature of 6.5 and 60 °C, respectively. XylB hydrolyzed the xylan and produced short-chain xylooligosaccharides (XOS). At the end of the two-step ultrafiltration process, the hydrolysate was refi ned to form XOS syrup (44.4%) consisting of XOS with a degree of polymerization (DP) between 2 and 5, and >5. Among all the tested probiotic strains, Lactobacillus brevis exhibited maximum growth in the presence of 0.5% XOS syrup with a specific growth rate of 1.2 h-1. Conclusion: Through this study, we have identified a method to produce XOS syrup that can be used as an effective prebiotic supplement for the growth of several probiotic strains. Human gut probiotics was used as a model system for in vitro analysis of prebiotic oligosaccharide XOS, but for further confirmation of the prebiotic activity, in vivo feeding studies using animal models are needed to be carried out.

The using of low-FODMAP diet is an important step in the treatment of children with irritable bowel syndrome

Diet therapy, in most cases, is the first stage of treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Especially, this question remains relevant in patients suffering from functional gastrointestinal disorders. The irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most common of functional gastrointestinal tract disorders in the population. The Rome criteria IV are basic recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders in patients of different ages. The diet with a reduced content of fermentable oligosaccharides (fructans and galactans), di- (lactose), monosaccharides (fructose) and polyols (FODMAP) is recommended by current international consensus for patients of different ages with irritable bowel syndrome. The article presents current findings on the low-FODMAP diet effect on the clinical manifestations of irritable bowel syndrome. The elimination of various foods in the diet of patients with different clinical variants of irritable bowel syndrome according to the low-FODMAP diet scheme leads to a decrease in gassing and normalization of contractile activity of the intestine. It significantly reduces the frequency of exacerbations of the disease and improves the quality of life of such patients. A number of clinical studies using the low-FODMAP diet in adult patients and children with irritable bowel syndrome are presented. It is concluded that further clinical studies to study the effectiveness of the low-FODMAP diet in patients with irritable bowel syndrome are needed. Especially this issue remains relevant in pediatric practice.

In vitro therapeutic properties of different fractions of Phaseolus vulgaris seeds as affected by the distribution of phytochemicals

This study was framed to evaluate the distribution of phytochemicals in the different fractions (hulls and cotyledons) in comparison with whole seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris and its effect on in vitro therapeutic properties. The study revealed that higher concentration of phenolics (48.576 mg GAE/g), saponins (1.152 mg Soya saponin/g), tannins (36.963 mg catechin eq/g), and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) (8.34 g/100 g) were present in the hulls fraction, while cotyledons had higher content of B-vitamins and total carbohydrates. The hulls showed almost 90% contribution to the antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and antidiabetic property of the legume seeds, which is reflective of its rich polyphenolic and raffinose content. Thus, hulls from P. vulgaris may be a good source of phytonutrients for use as a vehicle for food enrichment. Practical applications Contribution of individual fractions to the overall therapeutic property of the legume. Rich phytocomposition of hulls—as potential source of phytonutrient for food enrichment.