Fructooligosaccharides

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) is a generic term of oligosaccharides with beta (2→1) fructosyl-fructose glycosidic bonds. They can be obtained either by extraction from plants or enzymatically synthesized. As one of the most widely commercially available prebiotics, the health benefits of dietary FOS in consumer's health have long been appreciated, including immune modulation, improvement of gastrointestinal condition and uptake of mineral, protection against colon cancer, and decreased risk of obesity-associated disorders. Dietary FOS have resistance to hydrolysis by human salivary and small intestinal digestive enzymes, and reach the colon structurally unchanged where they are selectively fermented by probiotics. This review focuses on the effects and mechanisms of FOS with emphasis in the potential causal relationship between the prebiotic effects and the benefits to health.