Xylooligo-

saccharides:
manufacture and
applications
M.J. Va zquez, J.L. Alonso,
H. Dom

nguez and J.C. Parajo *

Departamento de Enxen er

a Qu

mica, Universidade
de Vigo (Campus Ourense), Edicio Polite cnico, As
Lagoas, 32004 Ourense, Spain (tel: +34-9-8838-7047;
fax: +34-988-387001; e-mail: jcparajo@uvigo.es)
Xylooligosaccharides (sugar oligomers made up of xylose
units) are useful for a variety of purposes. This article
reviews the production of xylooligosaccharides from lig-
nocellulosic materials (by chemical or enzymatic methods)
and the purication of the end products, as well as their
application as food ingredients, with special attention to
the benecial eects caused on health by these types of
compounds. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights
reserved.
Production of xylooligosaccharides from ligno-
cellulosic materials
Xylooligosaccharides (XOs) are sugar oligomers
made up of xylose units, which appear naturally in
bamboo shoots, fruits, vegetables, milk and honey.
Their production at an industrial scale is carried out
from lignocellulosic materials (LCMs). XOs can be used
for several of purposes (see Fig. 1). Among them, this
review is focused on food-related applications.
The LCM for XO production come from variety of
feedstocks (from forestry, agriculture, industry or urban
solid wastes) that show similarities in composition.
Besides non-structural components (such as extractives
or ash), LCMs are made up of three polymers: lignin
(with phenolic nature), cellulose (a linear polymer made
up of b-glucose units linked 1!4) and hemicelluloses
(branched heteropolysaccharides made up of a variety
of monosaccharides, including xylose, arabinose, man-
nose, glucose and rhamnose). Compositional data of
representative raw materials have been summarized by
Garrote et al. [1].
Depending on the nature of the lignocellulosic mate-
rial, polymers of xylose (xylan), arabinose (arabinan) or
mannose (mannan) may account for a substantial part
of hemicellulose, which can be substituted via ether or
ester bonds (for example with a-d-glucopyranosyl uro-
nic acid or its 4-O-methyl derivative, acetyl groups and
acids [2,3], see Fig. 2). Typical raw materials for XO
production are hardwoods, corn cobs, straws, bagasses,
hulls, malt cakes and bran.
The concept for manufacturing XOs from a suitable
LCM is simple: starting from a xylan-rich feedstock,
some of the heterocyclic ether bonds of the xylan back-
bone have to be hydrolyzed to give compounds of lower
polymerization degree. Three dierent approachs have
been used for XO production from these feedstocks:
a. Enzyme treatments of native, xylan-containing
LCM
b. Chemical fractionation of a suitable LCM to iso-
late (or to solubilize) xylan, with further enzymatic
hydrolysis of this polymer to XOs; and
c. Hydrolytic degradation of xylan to XOs by steam,
water or dilute solutions of mineral acids.
All these possibilities are considered in the following
paragraphs.
The direct xylooligosaccharide production from
xylan-containing LCMs must be carried out from a
susceptible feedstock. For this purpose, XO manu-
facture from the membranes of citrus fruit pulp by
enzymatic methods has been reported by Takao and
Yoshio [4].
The production of XO by combined chemical-enzy-
matic methods is shown in Fig. 3a: xylan (or soluble
xylan fragments) can be obtained from LCMs by treat-
ments with alkalis (for example, with solutions of
NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)
2
, ammonia or a mixture of these
compounds). The processing of xylan-containing LCM
in alkaline media is favoured by the pH stability of this
polymer, and the solubilized fraction can be recovered
from liquors by further processing. In some cases, the
raw material has been pretreated with oxidizing agents,
0924-2244/00/$ - see front matter Copyright # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PI I : S0924- 2244( 01) 00031- 0
Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393
*Corresponding author.
Review
salts or alcohols to remove lignin or pectic sustances. In
case the xylan has been solubilized in caustic liquors,
precipitation with organic compounds (including acids,
alcohols or ketones) allows the recovery of dissolved
hemicelluloses and hemicellulose-degradation products.
Once the xylan has been isolated or degraded to a solu-
ble form, further DP reduction can be accomplished by
hydrolysis with xylanases [57]. For enzymatic produc-
tion of XOs, enzyme complexes with low exo-xylanase
and/or b-xylosidase activity are desired, in order to
avoid the production of xylose. The enzymes can be
directly added to the reaction media [8], immobilized [9],
or produced in situ by microorganisms [10]. With this
approach, low-DP xylooligosaccharides can be pro-
duced. For food-related applications, the preferred DP
range is 24 [11].
Alternatively, XO can be produced from LCMs in a
single step by reaction with steam or water through
hydronium-catalysed degradation of xylan, according to
the procedure known as autohydrolysis, hydro-
thermolysis or water prehydrolysis (see Fig. 3b). In the
rst stages of the reaction, the catalytic species come
from water autoionization, but side reactions (for
example, cleavage of acetyl groups to give acetic acid)
contribute to the generation of hydronium ions in fur-
ther reaction stages. The hydrolytic degradation of
hemicelluloses is facilitated when an acid is externally
added (acid prehydrolysis), but in this case the oligo-
saccharides behave as reaction intermediates and the
main reaction products are monosaccharides. Besides
the degradation of xylan, several side-processes occur in
such kinds of treatment, including extractive removal,
solubilization of acid-soluble lignin and neutralization
of ash. All of them contribute to the presence of com-
paratively high concentrations of undesired, non-sac-
charide compounds in liquors from hydrothermal
processing. Because of this, the purication of XOs is of
major importance. In order to simplify the purication
of XOs, the feedstock can be pretreated before the water
treatment (see Fig. 3b). For example, solvent extraction
of the LCMs before the water treatment allows the
removal of the extractives contained in the feedstock.
Usually, mild operational conditions are preferred in
order to achieve high extent of xylan solubilization (to
give xylooligosaccharides with DP typically 20) while
sugar-degradation reactions are avoided. If the nal
distribution of molecular weights is unfavourable for
the desired application (for example, for food-related
purposes), further DP reduction can be achieved by
enzymatic treatments [9,12,13].
Purication of crude XO solutions
The purication of crude XO solutions is a complex
problem, particularly when they come from hydro-
thermal processing. A variety of strategies have been
proposed for rening the crude liquors, in order to
remove undesired compounds and/or to select XOs
within a given DP range. Depending on the degree of
purity desired, a sequence of several physicochemical
treatments may be necessary.
Vacuum evaporation can be the rst stage in the pro-
cessing of crude oligosaccharide solutions. Besides the
expected increase in concentration, evaporation allows
the removal of acetic acid and avours or their pre-
cursors, which can be responsible for o-avours [14].
In some cases, the presence of avours in the nal solu-
tions is favourable for further utilization [15,16].
Starting from dry fractions of hemicellulose extracts,
organic acids (such as formic, acetic or propionic) have
been proposed to purify the xylan-degradation pro-
ducts. In this kind of treatment, the water concentration
should be limited in order that the impurities become
soluble while avoiding appreciable solubilization of the
hemicellulose [17]. Other organic solvents (such as alco-
hols and acetone) have been proposed for the recovery
of hemicellulose-degradation products [18].
Fig. 1. Applications of xylooligosaccharides (XOs).
388 M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393
F
i
g
.
2
.
S
t
r
u
c
t
u
r
e
o
f
x
y
l
a
n
s
f
r
o
m
s
e
v
e
r
a
l
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
.
M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393 389
The separation of XOs within a given DP range has
been carried out by membrane techniques, in order to
remove both XOs within the undesired DP range and
non-saccharide compounds [13,1921].
Adsorption (using adsorbents such as activated char-
coal, acid clay, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, alumi-
nium hydroxide or oxide, titanium, silica and porous
synthetic materials) has been used for purication of
XO-containing liquors. Figure 4 shows a process based
on the utilization of activated charcoal followed by elu-
tion with ethanol proposed by Peller n et al. [8]. In the
rst stage, xylooligosaccharides are retained by char-
coal, and the DP range of the fractions coming from
ethanol elution depends on the alcohol concentration,
allowing a fractionation of the XOs on the basis of their
molecular weight.
Ion-exchange resins are useful for desalination, but
show limited ability for retaining coloured compounds
[22]. Studies dealing with cation-exchange resins, anion-
exchange resins and mixed beds have been reported
[19,23]. Alternatively, the simultaneous removal of
colouring compounds and salts from XO solutions can
be accomplished by chromatographic separation [12].
Technological properties of XOs and their eects
on health
XOs are used as food ingredients owing to their tech-
nological properties and healthy eects.
For food applications, xylobiose (DP=2) is con-
sidered to be a xylooligosaccharide, even if for other
purposes the concept oligo is associated with higher
DP. The sweetnees of xylobiose is equivalent to 30%
Fig. 3. (a) General idea of XO manufacture by chemical-enzymatic methods. (b) Procedure for XO manufacture by hydronium-catalyzed
process.
390 M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393
that of sucrose, and the sweetness of other xylooligo-
saccharides is moderate and possess no o-taste.
Xylooligosaccharides are stable over a wide range of pH
(2.58.0, an advantage compared with other non-diges-
tible oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharides
(FOs), particularly in the acidic range, even at the rela-
tively low pH value of the gastric juice) and tempera-
tures (up to 100

C). Water activity of xylobiose is

reported to be higher than xylose, but almost the same
as glucose. Antifreezing activity of xylobiose on water at
temperatures higher than 10

C is the same as that of

xylose, but greater than that of glucose, sucrose and
maltose [24]. As food ingredients, XOs have an accep-
table odour, and are non-cariogenic [15,16,25,26] and
low-calorie, allowing their utilization in anti-obesity
diets [27,28]. In food processing, XOs show advantages
over inulin in terms of resistance to both acids and heat,
allowing their utilization in low-pH juices and carbo-
nated drinks [29].
The healthy eects of XOs are mainly related to their
eects on the gastrointestinal ora. Results obtained in
vivo using rats proved that the administration of XO
resulted in increased amounts of Bidobacterium spp. in
the gastrointestinal tract [9], and in increased total
short-chain fatty acids in the rat cecum [30,31]. Tests
carried out in humans proved that XOs are carbon
sources for benecial bacteria. For example, ingested
xylobiose (X2) is not excreted in feces or urine in the 24
h following oral administration. Since X2 cannot be
hydrolyzed either by saliva, pancreatin, gastric juice or
intestinal mucosa homogenate, this fact suggests its uti-
lization by intestinal bacteria [32].
The digestibility of XOs by digestive tract juices and
the eect of XOs on the absorption of bile acids was
compared with the eects of FOs and isomaltooligo-
saccharide (IO). Concerning XO digestibility, HPLC
analysis showed no hydrolysis products of FO, IO, or
XO after 4 h of in vitro digestion. Most of the IO and a
part of the FO were digested by the small intestinal
juice, but XO was not digested at all by any digestive
enzymes. The retardation eect of XO on bile acid
absorption compared with IO and FO has been proved
by in vitro experiments. Owing to the fact that the dis-
accharidase activity in the XO group was lower than in
the other dietary oligosaccharide groups, carbohydrate
hydrolysis in the digestive tract may be retarded and
blood glucose levels may be eectively controlled by
dietary XOs [33].
One of the most important features of XOs as food
ingredients is their ability to stimulate the growth of
intestinal Bidobacteria [9,3436]. In vitro assays proved
that Bidobacterium spp. and B. adolescentis are able to
utilize both X2 and X3, whereas a mixture containing
X2 as the main component was utilized by B. ado-
lescentis, B. infantis and B. longum. XOs are readily
utilized by B. bidum, and the oral ingestion of XO
promotes the proliferation of B. bidum in intestines [9].
Contrarily, Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli and many
Clostridium spp. cannot utilize XO [9,37]. Most Lacto-
bacillus species scarcely utilize XO, even if L. fermentum
shows this ability. Bacteroides utilize XO, but in a lower
degree compared with glucose [37].
In comparison with other non-digestible oligo-
saccharides (NDOs), Bidobacterium spp. preferred
xylooligomers, ranose and fructooligomers to hexoses.
Xylooligomers were almost as eective as ranose and
better than FOs to enhance the in vitro growth of these
strains [38]. Reported benecial eects of Bidobacteria
on human health include [38]: (i) suppressing activity of
entero putrefactive bacteria, preventing the formation
Fig. 4. A proposed scheme for production and purication of XOs.
M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393 391
of products such as toxic amines [39,40], (ii) repression
of the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria [9,37,41] due
to the production of short-chain organic acids (such as
lactic acid or acetic acid) [11,37,42,43] leading to
decreased pH in the gastro-intestinal tract [30,37,43],
and (iii) promotion of the digestion and absorption of
nutrients. These properties result in the ability to prevent
gastrointestinal infections, to reduce the duration of
diarrhoea episodes [34] and to maintain the fecal water
content within normal levels [37], with delayed gastric
emptying [44]. As an additional favourable eect of
XOs, a modest enhancement of cecal epithelial cell pro-
liferation by this kind of compound has been reported [45].
Based on the above reasons, XOs aect functions in
the body so as to have positive cellular or physiological
eects, fulllling the requirements for prebiotics.
Because of this, XOs are used as active ingredients of
functional foods, which are similar in appearance to
conventional foods that are consumed as part of a nor-
mal diet and have demostrated physiological benets
and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic
nutritional functions [46].
XOs are commercially used as food ingredients in
Japan, where the law is dierent from North America
and Europe. Instead of functional food, the concept
FOSHU (Food for Specied Health Use) has been
used in Japan since 1991. FOSHU foods are expected to
have a specic eect on health due to the relevant con-
stituent(s) of the foods. These foods for specied health
use should promote health by supporting the improve-
ment of the diet, and should not pose a health or
hygiene risk [47].
XO in functional foods
The Japanese market pioneered the incorporation of
XOs into foods [21]. Today, about 60 companies use
XO in about 100 products, some of them being granted
FOSHU (including YOGHURINA produced by Suntory
Ltd., MARUSHIGE GENKISU produced by Marushige
Ueda Co., L-ONE produced by Enzamin Laboratory
Inc., and SUKKIRI KAICHO produced by Lotte Co.).
Based on the prebiotic characteristics of XOs, syn-
biotic foods (which include both a prebiotic and a live
microbial food ingredient called a probiotic that is
benecial to health) have been formulated. According to
Gibson and Roberfroid [48], synbiotics can be described
as a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics that bene-
cially aects the host by improving the survival and
implantation of live microbial dietary supplements in
the gastrointestinal tract, by selectively stimulating the
growth and/or activating the metabolism of one or a
limited number of health-promoting bacteria, and thus
improving host welfare. The rst synbiotic was Bikkle
from Suntory, successfully marketed since 1993, which
contains bidobacteria, xylo-oligosaccharides, whey
minerals and oolong tea extract.
Conclusion
XOs show a remarkable potential for practical utili-
zation in many elds, including pharmaceuticals, feed
formulations and agricultural applications, but their
most important market developments correspond to
food-related applications. In this eld, XOs present
advantages compared with other oligosaccarides in
terms of healthy eects and concentration thresholds,
but their comparatively high production costs are hin-
dering a wider and faster market development. For this
purpose, further improvements in processing technology
would be necessary.
The interest in XOs for food applications is demon-
strated by the dramatic increase in demand observed
since 1994. For example, production by Suntory
increased from 70 t in 1994 to 300 t in 1996. On the
other hand, most of the leading companies develop
functional foods, conrming the tendency of this mar-
ket to grow. Other data (such as the wide variety of
biological, nutritive and technological properties and
applications of XOs, or the variety of the potential
sources for their production) also support this idea.
Important remarks on this issue are the current trend
toward health-care cost reduction and the growing con-
sumer interest in preventive health [49], which reinforce
the expectancies that the dietary supplement industry will
continue to exhibit strong growth. Novel foods (through
enzymatic synthesis involving reducing oligosaccharides)
open new and exciting opportunities in this eld.
References
1 Garrote, G., Domnguez, H. and Parajo , J.C. (1999) Mild Auto-
hydrolysis: An Enviromentally Friendly Technology for Xylooli-
gosaccharide Production from Wood in J. Chem. Technol.
Biotechnol. 74, 11011109
2 Ebringerova , A. and Heinze, T. (2000) Xylan and Xylan Deriva-
tives - Biopolymers with Valuable Properties, 1. Naturally
Occurring Xylans Structures, Isolation Procedures and Proper-
ties in Macromol. Rapid Commun. 21, 542556
3 Puls, J. and Schuseil, J. (1993). Chemistry of Hemicelluloses:
Relationship Between Hemicellulose Structure and Enzymes
Required for Hydrolysis in Hemicellulose and Hemicellulases,
(Coughlan, M.P. and Hazlewood, G.P., eds), pp. 127, Porland
Press, London, UK
4 Takao, Y. and Yoshio, I. (1996). Production of Gruel-like Extract
Containing Xylooligosaccharide and Food Containing the
Extract and Production of Xylooligosaccharide, Japanese
Patent JP 8103287
5 Masayasu, T., Akira, M., Koji, M. and Takashi, Y. (1993). Inhi-
bitor of Vasodepressor and Vasopressor, Japanese Patent JP
5194241
6 Hiroyuki, H., Masayasu, T. and Toshiro, S. (1995). Agent for
Improving Glucose Tolerance Disorder, Japanese Patent
JP7324036
7 Masayasu, T., Akira, M. and Koji, M. (1993). Alcoholic Fat Liver
Suppresser, Japanese Patent JP 5043470
8 Pellerin, P., Gosselin, M., Lepoutre, J.-P., Samain, E. and Debeire,
P. (1991) Enzymatic Production of Oligosaccharides from
Corncob Xylan in Enzyme and Microb. Technol. 13, 617621
392 M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393
9 Suwa, Y., Koga, K., Fujikawa, S., Okazaki, M., Irie, T. and
Nakada, T. (1999). Bidobacterium Bidum Proliferation Pro-
moting Composition Containing Xylooligosaccharide, USA
Patent US 5939309
10 Cai, J., Huang, S. and Zeng, S. (1997) Studies on Conversion
Corncobs Into Xylo-oligosaccharides by Fungi in Weisheng-
wuxue Tongbao 24, 9194
11 Loo, J.V., Cummings, J., Delzenne, N., Englyst, H., Franck, A.,
Hopkins, M., Kok, N., Macfarlane, G., Newton, D., Quigley, M.,
Roberfroid, M., van Vliet, T. and van den Heuvel, E. (1999)
Functional Food Properties of Non-digestible Oligosacchar-
ides: a Consensus Report from the ENDO Project (DGXII-AIRII-
CT94-1095) in Brit. J. Nutr. 81, 121132
12 Isao, Y., Makio, T. and Hiromi, K. (1989). Method for Obtaining
Saccharide Liquid Consisting Essentially of Xylobiose from
Hemicellulose Liquor. Japanese Patent JP 1254692
13 Motohiro, T., Boseki, I., Yoshiaki, T., Yuji, O., Norio, S. and
Yoshimasa, O. (1986). Production of Xylose and Xylooligo-
saccharide. Japanese Patent JP 61285999
14 Eden, J., Kasica, J., Walsh, L., Rutenberg, M.W., Lacourse, N.,
Solarek, D. and Koubek, T.G. (1998). Purication of Poly-
saccharides, USA patent US 5756721
15 Kazumitsu, S., Boseki, I., Norio, S. and Yoshimasa, O. (1997).
Production of food and drink, Japanese Patent JP 9248153
16 Kazumitsu, S., Boseki, I., Norio, S. and Yoshimasa, O. (1987).
Production of Food and Drink, Japanese Patent JP 62278961
17 Schweiger, R.G. (1973). Rening of Hemicelluloses, USA Patent
US 3716526
18 Sihtola, H. (1976). Method for Removal of Hemicellulose from
Hemicellulose-containing Caustic Liquors. Usa Patent US 3935022
19 Dhara, K., Glasser, W.G., Kaar, W.E., Palmer, J.K. and Rau-
schenberg, N.C. (1991). Isolation of Oligosaccharides from
Biomass, World Patent WO 9118000
20 Ishihara, M., Nojiri, M., Hayashi, N. and Shimizu, K. (1996) Iso-
lation of Xylan from Hardwood by Alkali Extraction and Steam
Treatment in Mokuzai Gakkaishi 42, 12111220
21 Crittenden, R.G. and Playne, M.J. (1996) Production, Properties
and Applications of Food-grade Oligosaccharides in Trends
Food Sci. Technol. 7, 353361
22 LHermine, G.J.A. and Lundquist, E.G. (1998). Decolorization of
Sugar Syrups Using Functionalized Adsorbents. European
Patent EP 0882803
23 Shuji, H. Kazumitsu, S., Boseki, I., Norio, S. and Yoshimasa, O.
(1987). Production of Xylose and Xylooligosaccharide. Japa-
nese Patent JP 62281890
24 Bhat, M.K. (1998) Oligosaccharides as Functional Food Ingre-
dients and their Role in Improving the Nutritional Quality of
Human Food and Health in Recent Res. Dev. Agric. Food
Chem. 2, 787802
25 Kazumitsu, S., Boseki, I., Norio, S. and Yoshimasa, O. (1996).
Beverage and Food, Japanese Patent JP 8056607
26 Kazuyoshi, T., Yasuyuki, K., Norio, S. and Shunzo, I. (1998).
Production of Monosaccharide, Oligosaccharide and Solubi-
lized Polysaccharide, Japanese Patent JP 10117800
27 Toshio, I., Noriyoshi, I. Toshiaki, K., Toshiyuki, N. and Kunimasa,
K. (1990). Production of Xylobiose, Japanese Patent JP 2119790
28 Taeko, I., Koichi, N., Yasushi, N., Akira, K. and Yoshinobu, K.
(1998). Food and Drink Eective in Anti-obesity, Japanese
Patent JP 10290681
29 Modler, H.W. (1994) Bidogenic FactorsSources, Metabolism
and Applications in Int. Dairy J. 4, 383407
30 Campbell, J.M., Fahey, G.C. Jr. and Wolf, B.W. (1997) Selected
Indigestible Oligosaccharides Aect Large Bowel Mass, Cecal
and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids, pH and Microora in Rats
in J. Nutr. 127, 130136
31 Imaizumi, K., Nakatsu, Y., Sato, M., Sedarnawati, Y. and
Sugano, M. (1991) Eects of Xylooligosaccharides on Blood
Glucose, Serum and Liver Lipids and Cecum Short-chain Fatty
Acids in Diabetic Rats in Agric. Biol. Chem. 55, 199205
32 Okazaki, M., Koda, H., Izumi, R., Fujikawa, S. and Matsumoto,
N. (1991) Eect of Xylooligosaccharide on Growth of Intestinal
Bacteria and Putrefaction Products in J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food
Sci. 44, 4144
33 Joo, G.-J., Rhee, I.-K., Kim, S.-O. and Rhee, S.-J. (1998) Eect
of Dietary Xylooligosaccharide on Indigestion and Retarding
Eect of Bile Acid Movement Across a Dialysis Membrane
in Hanguk Sikpum Yongyang Kwahak Hoechi 27, 705
711
34 Dohnalek, M.I.H., Ostrom, K.M. and Hilty, M.D. (1998). Use of
Indigestible Oligosaccharides to Prevent Gastrointestinal
Infections and Reduce Duration of Diarrhea in Humans, USA
Patent US 5827526
35 Dohnalek, M.I.H., Ostrom, K.M. and Hilty, M.D. (1998). Use of
Indigestible Oligosaccharides to Reduce the Incidence of Oti-
tis Media in Humans, USA Patent US 5849324
36 Jeong, K.J., Park, I.Y., Kim, M.S. and Kim, S.C. (1998) High-level
Expression of an Endoxylanase Gene from Bacillus Sp. in Bacil-
lus Subtilis DB104 for the Production of Xylobiose from Xylan
in Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 50, 113118
37 Okazaki, M., Fujikawa, S. and Matsumoto, N. (1990) Eect of
Xylooligosaccharide on the Growth of Bidobacteria in Bido-
bacteria Microora 9, 7786
38 Jaskari, J., Kontula, P., Siitonen, A., Jousimies-Somer, H., Mat-
tila-Sandholm, T. and Poutanen, K. (1998) Oat b-glucan and
Xylan Hydrolysates as Selective Substrates for Bidobacterium
and Lactobacillus Strains in Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 49,
175181
39 Fujikawa, S., Okazaki, M. and Matsumoto, N. (1991) Eect of
Xylooligosaccharide on Growth of Intestinal Bacteria and
Putrefaction Products in J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food Sci. 44, 3740
40 Campbell, J.M., Fahey, G.C., DeMichele, S.J. and Garleb,
K.A. (1997) Metabolic Characterictics of Healthy Adult
Males as Aected by Ingestion of a Liquid Nutritional
Formula Containing Fish Oil, Oligosaccharides, Gum Ara-
bic and Antioxidant Vitamins in Food Chem. Toxicol. 35,
11651176
41 Wolf, B.W., Garleb, K.A., Campbell, S.M., Meulbroek, J.A.,
Wheeler, K.B. and Walton, J.E. (1998). Oral Rehydration Solu-
tion Containing Indigestible Oligosaccharides, USA Patent US
5733579
42 DeMichele, S.J., Garled, K. McEwen, W. and Fuller, M.K. (1999).
Nutritional Product for a Person having Ulcerative Colitis,
USA Patent US 5952314
43 Wolf, B: W., Titgemeyer, E.C., Fahey, G.C. and Garleb, K.A.
(1994). Fermentability of Selected Oligosaccharides in FASEB J.
8, A186 (abs.)
44 Ziemer, C.J. and Gibson, G.R. (1998) An Overview of Probio-
tics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics In the Functional Food Concept:
Perspectives and Future Strategies in Int. Dairy J. 8, 473479
45 Howard, M.D., Gordon, D.T., Garleb, K.A. and Kerley, M.S.
(1995) Dietary Fructooligosaccharide, Xylooligosaccharide and
Gum Arabic Have Variable Eects on Cecal and Colonic
Microbiota and Epithelial Cell Proliferation in Mice and Rats in
J. Nutr. 125, 26042609
46 Clydesdale, F.M. (1997) Aproposal for the Establishment of
Scientic Criteria for Health Claims for Functional Foods in
Nutr. Res. 55, 413423
47 Functional Foods and Drinks in Japan. (February 2000) Japan-
Scan. LFRA Limited, UK.
48 Gibson, G.R. and Roberfroid, M.B. (1995) Dietary Modulation of
the Human Colonic Microbiota: Introducing the Concept Pre-
biotics in J. Nutr. 125, 14011412
49 Fitzpatrick, K. (1999) Functional Foods: a Hot Topic in Canada
in Inform. 10, 962968
M.J. Vazquez et al. / Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2000) 387393 393