Thu-Ha Nguyen
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Title: Microbial production of prebiotic oligosaccharides: Galacto-oligosaccharides as an example
Biography
Biography: Thu-Ha Nguyen
Abstract
Prebiotic oligosaccharides have attracted an increasing amount of attention because of their physiological importance and functional effects on human health, as well as their physico-chemical properties, which are of interest for various applications in the food industries. Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), one of the major groups of prebiotic oligosaccharides, are formed via the transgalactosylation reaction from lactose. This reaction is catalyzed by a number of b-galactosidases (lactases) in addition to their hydrolytic activity. GOS are complex mixtures of different oligosaccharides, and the spectrum of the oligosaccharides making up these mixtures strongly depends on the source of the enzyme used for the biocatalytic reaction as well as on the conversion conditions used in their production. These oligosaccharides are of great interest because of their proven prebiotic characteristics. A plethora of GOS is also found in human milk, and these differently substituted oligosaccharides are associated with a number of beneficial effects for the breast-fed infant.