Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
scFOS has been included in a wide variety of foods and supplements globally
that have been marketed for children, adults, and hospital/institutional use. Food
products available on the market include the following:
•
Beverages: Soy milk, smoothies, juice
•
Dairy products: Yogurt, ice cream, frozen yogurt
•
Desserts: Pudding, jelly/jello
•
Fruit products: Fruit preparations
•
Bakery products: Snack bars, biscuits/cookies, waffles, pancakes
•
Breakfast cereal: Extruded cereals, instant oatmeal
•
Confectionery: Chocolate, gummy candy
•
Infant and toddler foods
•
Specialty nutrition products: Liquid supplements
2.4 CoMPArATIvE EFFECTs oF scFos AND oThEr FruCTANs
2.4.1 biological outcomes
Various studies have directly compared scFOS with other fructans and found
differences in biological outcomes that include:
•
Selective bacterial utilization
•
Mechanism for bacterial utilization
•
Rate of fermentation
•
Gas production
•
Tolerance
McKellar et al. (1993) conducted
in vitro
incubation studies across a broad selec-
tion of bifidobacteria species and strains by comparing growth on various carbohy-
drate sources at 37°C for 48 hours, as measured by absorbance at 600 nm. Averaged
across all 43 species/strains tested, glucose and sucrose were the best growth factors:
average growth on each of the mono- and disaccharides was sucrose (1.767 ± 0.0643
SE) > glucose (1.704 ± 0.0489) > fructose (1.208 ± 0.0767). By comparing the fruc-
tan substrates tested, scFOS (1.258 ± 0.0324) was a better growth factor than inulin
(0.0937 ± 0.232),
p
≤ 0.05 (see Table 2.4). Across all 19 species of bifidobacteria,
scFOS was a better growth factor. In fact, every species utilized scFOS, but 10 spe-
cies could not utilize inulin. Hence, scFOS is a more generic growth substrate for
bifidobacteria than inulin.
Mechanistic studies suggest that scFOS may be a better substrate for intestinal
bacteria than oligofructose or inulin due to its shorter and more specific DP.
•
Two species of lactobacilli were better able to utilize GF
2
and GF
3
than GF
4
(Kaplan
and Hutkin s, 2000).
β
•
-Fructosidase activity in various bifidobacteria species showed higher cell-associ-
ated enzyme activity for scFOS versus inulin (McKellar et al., 1989).
scFOS uptake by a lactobacilli transporter is more rapid for GF
•
2
and GF
3
than GF
4
(Kaplan and Hutkins, 2003).
