FOSLIFE®

What are Fructo-Oligosaccharides?

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are nondigestible carbohydrates made up of a glucose unit and short chains of fructose. Such sugars are a source of dietary fiber, act as a prebiotic, and help nourish the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. These naturally occurring fructans escape digestion in the upper digestive tract and are selectively metabolized by beneficial bacteria in the colon.

Naturally present in foods like bananas, garlic, leeks, and asparagus, FOS is also commonly added to dietary supplements and processed foods to enhance their nutritional profile.

FOS cannot be digested by human enzymes in the upper digestive tract, which makes them particularly unique. This characteristic allows FOS to pass through the stomach and small intestine, largely intact, reaching the colon where they are fermented by the beneficial gut bacteria. This fermentation process results in the formation of short-chain fatty acids, which have various nutritional benefits. In addition, the stimulation of the growth of healthy bacteria helps cultivate a healthy gut microbiome, which is linked to multiple aspects of well-being, including improved digestive regularity and enhanced absorption of crucial minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals are vital for bone health, muscle function, and overall metabolic processes.

In addition to their prebiotic benefits, FOS is valued for its low caloric content and its use as a source of natural sweetness, making them a popular low-calorie sugar alternative in the food industry. The combination of functional and nutritional benefits — supporting digestive health while serving as a naturally reduced sugar alternative — makes fructo-oligosaccharides a versatile ingredient for manufacturers aiming to meet the growing consumer demand for healthier, functional foods that support a balanced gut microbiome.

Short-Chain Vs. Long-Chain

Short-chain and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides each provide unique benefits for gut health due to their different structures and how they are broken down.

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) typically have 2 to 4 fructose units. ScFOS are quickly fermented by gut bacteria, leading to a rapid increase in short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetic acid (acetate), propionic acid (propionate), and butyric acid (butyrate), which nourish the digestive tract. ScFOS help manage bowel movements and play a role in reducing inflammation and supporting overall gut health. The fermentation process with scFOS, a dietary fiber source, helps beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium thrive, improves bowel regularity, and can relieve constipation.

Longer chain fructo-oligosaccharides, such as inulin, is broken down more slowly, resulting in a gradual release of SCFAs, including butyrate. Butyrate is important for maintaining the health of the colon lining, reducing inflammation, and supporting gut integrity. Slower fermentation supports the sustained growth of beneficial bacteria, enhances digestion, improves mineral absorption, and may aid in weight management and metabolic health.

Both short-chain and longer-chain fructo-oligosaccharides, such as inulin, support good digestive health and immune function.

Nutritional Benefits

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) have emerged as a highly valuable ingredient in the food industry, offering a wide array of functional and health benefits.

• Prebiotic benefits
• Digestive (gut) support
• Low-glycemic and low-calorie benefits

Prebiotic Benefits and Digestive Support

As prebiotics, short-chain FOS beneficially affect health by stimulating the growth of beneficial microbiota, such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and several species of Bacteroides. This characteristic has made scFOS a popular ingredient in foods and beverages, which are often used to enhance gut flora and promote digestive health.

LOW-GLYCEMIC AND LOW-CALORIE BENEFITS

ScFOS have minimal impact on blood sugar levels, making them particularly suitable for low-glycemic food formulations. Its unique quality lies in its ability to provide sweetness to foods without spiking blood glucose levels. It is particularly important to health-conscious consumers, who give preference to foods with lower glycemic index. Ingredients like scFOS offer a viable natural sweetener solution for healthy sugar reduction.

ScFOS is considered to have fewer calories compared to traditional sugars like sucrose because it is not fully digested and is absorbed in the small intestine. Instead, it undergoes fermentation in the colon by the gut bacteria, which can produce some energy but not as much as fully absorbed sugars. Therefore, scFOS can be used in the formulation of low-calorie food products.

Functional Benefits

Sugar reduction is not just about achieving the right taste balance. Reducing sugar in food product formulations is challenging because of the unique functionalities of sugar that deliver desired qualities to food products, such as color, flavor, texture, bulk, humectancy, etc. While there are various sugar alternatives available on the market, including artificial sweeteners, these ingredients often have limitations in their functionalities and taste.

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide offers manufacturers various benefits, often replicating the functionality of sugar while offering additional nutritional and dietary fiber benefits.

Short-Chain FOS Functional Benefits:

• Natural sweetness
• Shelf life extension
• Humectant properties

Natural Sweetness

The naturally sweet flavor of scFOS allows them to serve as a sugar substitute, which is an important advantage for products targeting low-calorie and reduced-sugar diets. This attribute also appeals to health-conscious consumers seeking products that promote digestive wellness and align with their dietary goals for reduced calorie and sugar intake.

Short-chain FOS are frequently included in dietary fiber supplements and functional foods to elevate fiber intake and support digestive wellness.

Humectant Properties

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides provide humectant properties in bakery applications. ScFOS can help retain moisture in food products, which helps improve texture and extend shelf life. ScFOS can help prevent starch crystallization in baked goods, like cereal bars, keeping the products softer longer and extending their shelf life. By controlling water mobility, scFOS also reduces dryness and maintains the desired consistency in formulations, contributing to the overall quality and longevity of the product.

Prebiotic Benefits

In recent decades, there has been a significant rise in metabolic disorders and related comorbidities globally. This increase is largely attributed to a shift in dietary patterns toward more convenient, calorically dense 'fast foods' often exacerbated by increasingly sedentary lifestyle habits. As a result of this dietary and lifestyle transition, we are seeing a surge in metabolic health issues.

Recent research highlights the potential of dietary fiber ingredients like fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) in addressing health challenges related to gut microbiota. FOS has shown promise in enhancing gut microbiome diversity, which is a key factor for overall health. As studies continue to delve deeper into the effects of FOS on gut health, researchers are optimistic about finding new and effective ways to address health problems linked to modern lifestyles.

Studies suggest that adding FOS to one's diet can significantly increase gut microbiome biodiversity. FOS has the ability to enrich the gut microbiome without disrupting its existing balance, which can aid in enhancing overall health. FOS has been seen to primarily stimulate beneficial bacteria in the gut such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. It is important to note that by adding FOS to the diet, one has the ability to nourish one's very own beneficial bacteria (probiotics) resident in your digestive system.

Published Studies

The applications of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and their nutritional benefits have been widely researched, especially for their role in promoting gut health. FOS is recognized as a prebiotic, helping to enhance the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Below are two notable studies that investigate the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides on gut microbiota, highlighting its efficacy in improving gut health and its differential effects across different populations.

Source: Scientific Reports volume 9, Article number: 5473 (2019) by Disha Tandon, Mohammed Monzoorul Haque, Manoj Gote, Manish Jain, Anirban Bhaduri, Ashok Kumar Dubey, Sharmila S Mande
Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 2;9(1):5473. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41837-3. PMID: 30940833; PMCID: PMC6445088.

This study explored how different doses of FOS affected gut microbiota in healthy individuals. The results showed that FOS significantly increased the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, particularly Bifidobacterium. The study found a clear dose-response relationship, where higher doses of FOS led to a greater increase in these beneficial bacteria. This reinforces the role of FOS as an effective prebiotic for improving gut health.

Source: Frontiers in Nutrition, 11 January 2023 Sec. Nutrition and Microbes, Volume 9 — 2022, by Karley K. Mahalak, Jenni Firrman, Adrienne B. Narrowe, Weiming Hu, Steven M. Jones, Kyle Bittinger, Ahmed M. Moustafa, and LinShu Liu

This original research article, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, showed that FOS had positively impacted the gut microbiota, particularly by increasing beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria andLactobacilli. The study highlighted its age-dependent effects on gut microbiota, showing differential responses in younger versus older populations, suggesting FOS plays a role in gut health across life stages.