Fructo Oligo

Fructo Oligo

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) also sometimes called oligofructose or oligofructan is a class of oligosaccharides used as an artificial or alternative sweetener. FOS use emerged in the 1980s in response to consumer demand for healthier and calorie-reduced foods. The term oligosaccharide refers to a short chain of sugar molecules (in the case of FOS, fructose molecules). Oligo means few, and saccharide means sugar.

Chemistry

FOS can be produced by degradation of insulin, or polyfructose, a polymer of D-fructose residues linked by β(2-1) bonds with a terminal α(1-2) linked D-glucose. The degree of polymerization of insulin ranges from 10-60. Insulin can be degraded enzymatically or chemically to a mixture of oligosaccharides with the general structure Glu-(Fru)n (GFn) and Frum, (Fm), with n,m ranging from 1 to 7. This process also occurs to some extent in nature, and these oligosaccharides can be found in a large number of plants, especially in Jerusalem artichoke and chicory.

Source of Soluble Fibre

FOS is also an excellent source of dietary soluble fiber. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of a health claim in the labeling of foods and dietary supplements containing soluble fibre. The health claim states that, "diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 7 grams of soluble fiber per day may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol".