Molecular structure of an hypothetical xylooligosaccharide, where n is a variable number of xylose units such as xylobiose and xylotriose.
Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) arepolymers of thesugarxylose.[1] They are produced from the xylan fraction in plant fiber. Their C5 (where C is a quantity of carbon atoms in each monomer) structure is fundamentally different from other prebiotics, which are based upon C6 sugars. Xylooligosaccharides have been commercially available since the 1980s, originally produced by Suntory in Japan. They have more recently become more widely available commercially, as technologies have advanced and production costs have fallen. Some enzymes from yeast can exclusively convert xylan into only xylooligosaccharides-DP-3 to 7.[2]
Xylooligosaccharides act as aprebiotic,[3][4] selectively feeding beneficial bacteria such asbifidobacteria andlactobacilli within the digestive tract. A large number of clinical trials have been conducted with XOS, demonstrating a variety of health benefits, including improvements in blood sugars and lipids, digestive health benefits, laxation, and beneficial changes to immune markers.[5] These health benefits have typically been observed at 1–4 g/d,[clarification needed] a lower dose than required for prebiotics such asfructooligosaccharides andinulin.[citation needed]
^Vázquez, M. J.; Alonso, J. L.; Domínguez, H.; Parajó, J. C. (2000). "Xylooligosaccharides: Manufacture and applications".Trends in Food Science & Technology.11 (11): 387.doi:10.1016/S0924-2244(01)00031-0.
^Adsul, Mukund (2009). "Biochemical characterization of two xylanases from yeast Pseudozyma hubeiensis producing only xylooligosaccharides".Bioresource Technology.100 (24):6488–95.doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2009.07.064.PMID19692229.
^Ma, Rui; et al. (2017). "Utility of Thermostable Xylanases of Mycothermus thermophilus in Generating Prebiotic Xylooligosaccharides".Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.65 (6):1139–1145.doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.6b05183.PMID28067041.
Chung, Y-C; Hsu, C-K; Ko, C-Y; Chan, Y-C (2007). "Dietary intake of xylooligosaccharides improves the intestinal microbiota, fecal moisture, and pH value in the elderly".Nutr Res.27 (12):756–61.doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2007.09.014.
Iino, T; Nishijima, Y; Sawada, S; Sasaki, H; Harada, H; Suwa, Y; et al. (1997). "Improvement of Constipation by a Small Amount of Xylooligosaccharides Ingestion in Adult Women".J Japanese Assoc Diet Fiber Res.1:19–24.doi:10.11217/jjdf1997.1.19.
