Useful characteristics and commercial applications of fructo-oligosaccharides.

Introduction Fructo-oligosaccharides consist of several fructosyl residues linked to a terminal glucose moiety. They occur naturally in many plant species, such as onion, edible burdock, asparagus, wheat and so on. These fructo-oligosaccharides are commercially produced from sucrose by the transfructosylation reaction of an enzyme or from inulin by enzymatic hydrolysis. This paper reviews the beneficial characteristics of fructo-oligosaccharides in relation to human health. Many studies have shown that administration of fructo-oligosaccharides improves the intestinal flora, resulting in relief of constipation, improvement of the blood lipid composition in hyperlipidaemia and suppression of the production of intestinal putrefactive substances. The bio-availability in man and the application of these saccharides to foods will also be discussed.