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Background: Recent scientific research has examined the many ways probiotics have a positive effect on human health; especially lactic acid bacteria have received considerable attention due to their ability to produce exopolysaccharides which may be involved in probiotic activity. Lactobacillus exopolysaccharides comprise repeating mono/oligosaccharide subunits that have complicated structure and characteristics. The exopolysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus species are extensively used as starter cultures to produce fermented food products due to their excellent technological characteristics.Scope and approaches: However, it is their immunoregulatory potential that has gained scientific attention in that it strictly correlates to the chemical structure and configuration of these bacterial exopolysaccharides. Therefore this review highlights the relationship of structure and function of lactic acid bacterial exopolysaccharides with an emphasis on the immunoregulatory potential. It summarizes the details of various in-vitro/in-vivo models used to evaluate exopolysaccharides immunomodulatory potential focusing on the exopolysaccharides structural-immunity relationship. Engineering strategies are proposed for improving production yield. The review concludes with a summary of how exopolysaccharides play a role in the food industry, using yogurt as an example. Key finding and conclusions: We searched databases such as the University Network Database, PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, Web of Science, Scopus, MedLine, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar to identify studies on role of Lactobacillus and their metabolites especially exopolysaccharide in functional food and its immunoregulatory potential. Lactobacillus exopolysaccharides contain various functional groups (such as hydroxyl group, phosphate group, and carbonyl group) which were helpful to exert their immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Collectively, the data suggest that Lactobacillus exopolysaccharides can be used as nutritional and therapeutic agents to regulate the host immune system, in turn helping to combat various disorders including cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Overall, a huge gap in knowledge was apparent, suggesting that further in vitro and in vivo investigations are needed to document the immunomodulatory potential of Lactobacillus exopolysaccharides supplemented functional foods.

exopolysaccharide, Lactobacillus, Yogurt, Food Industry, Immunoregulatory, Lactic acid bacteriaI

Publication DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.06.003
Journal NLM ID: 9426004
Publisher: Cambridge, UK: Elsevier Trends Journals
Correspondence: Liqing Zhao
Institutions: College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Genome Stability & Human Disease Prevention, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Novel Natural Health Care Products, Engineering Laboratory of Shenzhen Natural Small Molecule Innovative Drugs, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, PR China

Gomphrena macrocephala St.-Hil. (Amaranthaceae) is a perennial herb that grows spontaneously in the cerrado and is characterized by well-defined phenological phases throughout the year. Soluble carbohydrates are the main reserve compounds of the tuberous root and constitute approximately 50% of the dry weight. These sugars were partially characterized as fructans forming a single homologous series, different from inulin, the most common fructan of dicotyledons. The mean molecular weight of polysaccharides was high and reached 37 kDa in the dormant phase. Fructan spherocrystals were detected in the tuberous root after treatment with ethanol, being associated with the parenchyma of secondary xylem. The content, composition and mean molecular weight of fructans were related to phenology. In late dormancy, there was a marked increase in monosaccharides, particularly fructose, and a concomitant decline of polysaccharides, probably as a result of fructan breakdown. During sprouting and in the vegetative phase, the contents of oligosaccharides and low molecular weight polysaccharides increased. A gradual rise in the molecular weight of polysaccharides occurred during the reproductive phase and at early dormancy, concurrently with decreasing levels of oligosaccharides. The capacity of G. macrocephala to accumulate readily accessible sugars, such as fructans, instead of starch, in response to environmental changes, may be of considerable advantage, since the cerrado is often subjected to seasonal drought and burnings.

fructans, Gomphrena macrocephala St.-Hil., Amaranthaceae, storage carbohydrates, phenology

Publication DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.1993.tb00515.x
Journal NLM ID: 9309004
Publisher: Blackwell Scientific Publications
Institutions: Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Dr Rita de Cássia L. Figueiredo-Ribeiro, Seção de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Plantas, Institute de Botânica de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Methods: gel filtration, partial acid hydrolysis, TLC, PC

The concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and its components, starch, total nitrogen, and dry matter of phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L. cv. Australian) pasture were varied by shading for periods ranging from 38.5 to 46.5 h. In unshaded pasture, WSC concentrations were lowest at sunrise [103 mg/g dry matter (DM)] and increased until early afternoon (to 160 mg/g DM). Sucrose and starch increased in concentration during daylight, whilst the concentrations of glucose, fructose, fructan, and a component of WSC considered to be mainly the carbohydrate moiety of glycoside(s) were relatively constant. The concentrations of starch, and all components of WSC except sucrose, were reduced by shading, but increased to the concentrations observed in the unshaded pasture within 2–4 h after removal of the cover. The fructans present in phalaris were determined to be oligosaccharides of degree of polymerisation (DP) 3 and DP 4 and high molecular mass fructans with DP >10. Nitrogen concentration of shaded pasture was initially higher (4.7% DM) than in unshaded pasture (3.9% DM), but decreased after removal of the shade cover. Dry matter content was reduced in shaded pasture, partly due to increased retention of water on the exterior of plants. The experiment was a precursor for a grazing trial in which the WSC content of pasture was to be altered by shading. It indicated that shading would potentially alter WSC and N concentrations, and DM content, but would have only a relatively small impact on the digestibility of the pasture.

glycosides, nitrogen, digestibility, nutritive value

Publication DOI: 10.1071/AR99150
Journal NLM ID: 0144065
Publisher: East Melbourne: Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organization
Correspondence: r.simpson@pi.csiro.au
Institutions: CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, Australia, Dept of Animal Production, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, Industrial Research Limited, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Methods: methylation, TLC, acid hydrolysis, extraction, enzymatic assay, centrifugation, anthrone-sulfuric acid assay, ion exchange chromatography, nitrogen determination

It is known that chicory inulin (average degree of polymerisation DP=10) and oligofructose (DP=4) affect bowel function. Whereas transit time is not affected with daily doses ranging between 4 and 15g, such doses increase stool frequency and have a faecal bulking effect in healthy volunteers. Recently a new type of chicory inulin with higher average chain length (DP=25) has become commercially available. From a nutritional point of view this is an interesting carbohydrate, as it is fermented more slowly than the native product, giving it the opportunity to arrive in more distal parts of the colon. In this placebo controlled study, we investigated the effect of this high performance inulin on bowel function in healthy volunteers with low stool frequency (1 stool every 2 to 3 days). Subjects were administered 15g of the product/day for 2 weeks. Besides macroscopic observations (stool frequency, faecal bulking, etc.), or-caecal transit time, effect on intestinal permeability, amount of faecal fat, bile acids, dry solids, etc. were monitored. There was a significant increase in stool frequency with the high performance inulin (p=0.02). The earlier observed trend to increase faecal bulk with 1.5 to 2g per g inulin ingested was observed in present study as well. There were no effects on the other measured parameters.

inulin, constipation, chicory root, bowel function

Publication DOI: 10.1016/S0271-5317(00)00162-7
Journal NLM ID: 8303331
Publisher: Tarrytown, NY: Elsevier Science
Correspondence: Yvo.Ghoos@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Institutions: Laboratory of Digestion & Absorption, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Methods: biological assays, radiolabeling, radioactivity measurement, isotopic labeling

Fructans of inulin type are the reserve carbohydrates in roots of chicory and tubers of jerusalem artichoke. The progress made on the (a) enzymology of fructan metabolism, (b) localization of fructan synthesizing and hydrolyzing machinery, (c) carbohydrate changes during growth, (d) in vitro fructan metabolism, (e) possible mode of regulation of fructan metabolism and (f) effect of nitrogen on fructan accumulation has been reviewed. Some recent researches on discovery of new inulo-n-ose series fructans, cloning of fructan biosynthesis pathway and possibility of using sugar beet for production of fructo oligosaccharides by introducing 1-sst gene in this crop have been reported.

enzymology, fructan, inulin, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory

Publication DOI: 10.1016/S0378-519X(00)80012-4
Publisher: Elsevier
Editors: Gupta AK, Kaur N
Institutions: Department of Biochemistry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India

The ability to synthesize high molecular weight inulin was transferred to potato plants via constitutive expression of the 1-SST (sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase) and the 1-FFT (fructan: fructan 1-fructosyltransferase) genes of globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus). The fructan pattern of tubers from transgenic potato plants represents the full spectrum of inulin molecules present in artichoke roots as shown by high-performance anion exchange chromatography, as well as size exclusion chromatography. These results demonstrate in planta that the enzymes sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase and fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase are sufficient to synthesize inulin molecules of all chain lengths naturally occurring in a given plant species. Inulin made up 5% of the dry weight of transgenic tubers, and a low level of fructan production also was observed in fully expanded leaves. Although inulin accumulation did not influence the sucrose concentration in leaves or tubers, a reduction in starch content occurred in transgenic tubers, indicating that inulin synthesis did not increase the storage capacity of the tubers.

gene expression, inulin, fructans, potato, artichoke

NCBI PubMed ID: 10890908
Publication DOI: 10.1073/pnas.150043797
Journal NLM ID: 7505876
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Correspondence: heyer@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Institutions: Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Golm, Germany
Methods: DNA techniques, HPAEC, extraction, SEC, gene expression