Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
In Japan, the occurrence of an ageing population and the likely national
health costs were recognized much earlier than in Western countries. So by
1991, a special category of FOSHU regulations was introduced. By December
2007, there were 755 FOSHU-approved products. Those with gastrointestinal
claims, which include products containing prebiotics such as FOS, lactosucrose
and lactulose, accounted for 51% of sales in 2007 (Bailey, 2008). FOSHU is
controlled by the Japan Health Food and Nutrition Food Association. It has
produced English-language versions of its guide, brochure and list of approved
products.
The use of GOSs as an optional ingredient in infant milk formulae and
infant foods has been the subject of intensive regulatory inquiry and its
acceptance varies among countries. Revised Codex standards were released
in November 2006 (Codex ALINORM 07/30/26). Readers are referred to the
Codex website (
www.codexalimentarius.net
) for current standards (CODEX
STAN 72-1981; and 156-1987).
5.10.1.1.
Safety Issues and Dose Rates
Safety of use must always be dominant in the development of new food
products. Fortunately, it is well established that GOSs and lactulose are safe,
even at high doses. Galacto-oligosaccharides are considered safe ingredients as
they are constituents of human milk and can also be produced in the gut by
intestinal bacteria from ingested lactose. Acute toxicity tests in rats have shown
that ingestion of more than 15 g/kg body weight of
1
!
4 galacto-oligosac-
charide was needed for LD
50
. No adverse symptoms were recorded in a chronic
toxicity test when 1.5 g/kg bodyweight were fed for 6 months. Non-mutageni-
city was confirmed by the AMES-Salmonella and Rec assay (Matsumoto et al.,
1993; Sako et al., 1999). However, excessive intakes (
>
30 g/day in adults) can
lead to flatulence, cramping and osmotic diarrhoea, particularly with the
shorter chain oligosaccharides. There is some evidence of adaptation to oligo-
saccharides by individuals, who can then eat double the normal recommended
maximum doses without symptoms (Schoterman, 2001). Furthermore, other
non-digestible carbohydrates are present as natural components in many
vegetable food sources. Estimates have been published of expected intakes of
fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin from such sources. It is likely that an intake
around 8 g/day per adult human may be normal.
Recommended effective doses of added oligosaccharides in adult humans
usually range from 10 to 20 g/day. With the slower-fermenting inulin or
resistant starch, an intake of up to 40 g/day is acceptable. With the short-
chain oligosaccharides, few ill-effects have been recorded in adults with intakes
of 25-30 g/day, but adaptation was sometimes necessary. These intakes are all
additional to what might be derived from other food components in a normal
