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Polysaccharides: An Overview
Published in Shakeel Ahmed, Aisverya Soundararajan, Pullulan, 2020
S. Vijayanand, Ashwini Ravi, Aisverya Soundararajan, Annu, P. N. Sudha, J. Hemapriya
The physical and chemical properties of fructans vary with their degree of polymerization and the type of linkages they possess. The levan-type fructans are used as emulsifier and encapsulating agent in various products such as biodegradable plastics, cosmetics, glues, textile coatings, and detergents. They are also used in medical applications as blood plasma volume extender and also have antitumor and immunomodulatory activities in mice [19, 191]. Both levan and inulin are used as ideal substrates for producing high-fructose syrup. Inulin is produced in commercial scale as functional food with high nutritive value [143]. Fructans have also been proved as the best bifidogenic agent enabling them to be used as prebiotics [180].
Current Trends in the Biotechnical Production Fructooligosaccharides
Published in A. K. Haghi, Ana Cristina Faria Ribeiro, Lionello Pogliani, Devrim Balköse, Francisco Torrens, Omari V. Mukbaniani, Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 2017
Orlando De La Rosa, Diana B. Muñiz Márquez, Jorge E. Wong Paz, Raúl Rodríguez, Rosa Ma. Rodríguez, Juan C. Contreras, Cristóbal Aguilar
Prebiotics such as FOS are considered safe for inclusion in traditional diets because their presence as natural ingredients in food and plants. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture it is estimated that the average daily consumption of FOS from chicory ranges between 1 and 4 g/day.14, 33 A study showed that FOS from chicory has no toxicity to organs and that these compounds are not mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic.34 Other results show that these fructans are well tolerated in amounts up to 20 g/day, can trigger diarrhea if doses of 30 g/day or more.14, 35
Naturally Occurring Polymers—Plants
Published in Charles E. Carraher, Carraher's Polymer Chemistry, 2017
Fructans are polysaccharides composed of d-fructofuranose units. They are important in short-term energy reserves for grasses and some plants. Inulin, found in dahlias, and levans from grasses are examples of fructans. Levans are short linear polysaccharides composed of β 2 → 1 linked fructose units as pictured below.
Valorization of selected fruit and vegetable wastes as bioactive compounds: Opportunities and challenges
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2020
Nerea Jiménez-Moreno, Irene Esparza, Fernando Bimbela, Luis M. Gandía, Carmen Ancín-Azpilicueta
Fructans are also very interesting as functional food ingredients because of their potential health benefits. Inulin has important prebiotic properties, as it selectively promotes the growth and metabolic activity of beneficial bacteria, mainly bifidobacteria, while suppressing harmful genera like Bacteroides, Clostridia, Fusobacteria, and Gram-positive cocci (Gibson, Beatty, Wang, & Cummings, 1995). Other beneficial effects of inulin are the reduction of serum triglycerides (Causey, Feirtag, Gallaher, Tungland, & Slavin, 2000), and the prevention of colon cancer (Pool-Zobel, 2005). Azorín-Ortuño et al. (2009) concluded that the inulin-derived benefits were more pronounced in diets containing inulin with the highest degree of polymerization such as artichoke inulin.
Irritable bowel syndrome and the gut microbiota
Published in Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2020
Phoebe E. Heenan, Jacqueline I. Keenan, Simone Bayer, Myrthe Simon, Richard B. Gearry
Diet plays an important role in the generation of symptoms in IBS patients, around 70% of IBS patients report that their symptoms are triggered by food (Rej et al. 2018). Abnormal small intestinal motility after food ingestion has been observed in a subset of IBS patients however the mechanism of this is unknown (Manousos et al. 1967; Deiteren et al. 2010). Early studies implicated reductions in fibre intake to IBS symptoms (Thompson 1974). This observation was supported by studies that reported the beneficial effects of wheat bran expediting GI transit (Kirwan and Smith 1977). However, IBS patients often report an intolerance to fibre containing foods (Floch 2005; Ford et al. 2008; Heizer et al. 2009) and insoluble fibre may worsen IBS symptoms in some patients (Bijkerk et al. 2004). Levels of butyrate (an end product of fibre fermentation in the gut) are reportedly decreased in IBS patients (Farup et al. 2016), which could reflect low fibre intake and/or fewer butyrate-producing bacteria in IBS patients (Duan et al. 2019). Reductions in butyrate production are thought to effect GI motility and sensation as well as increase gut barrier permeability (Pryde et al. 2002; Soret et al. 2010; Wang et al. 2012). Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity has been suggested as a driver of symptoms in some patients (Barmeyer et al. 2017). However, recent work has elegantly demonstrated that many IBS patients are intolerant to fructans, a member of a group of carbohydrates called FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharide, Disaccharide, Monosaccharide, and Polyols) (Skodje et al. 2018). Significantly, fructans are often present in gluten containing food.