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Wheat bran, an abundant agricultural co-product rich in xylans, is a resource of interest for the production of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOs). XOs are emerging oligosaccharides on the prebiotic market due to their beneficial action on the probiotic microorganisms of the gut flora. In the framework of Karina Rios Rios' thesis, which is conducted in collaboration with the VITO Institute (Belgium), a single-step enzymatic hydrolysis process under mild reaction conditions was developed to fractionate wheat bran and extract XOs with different characteristics. These were separated into several fractions by a chromatographic step. The various fractions of XOs with different degree of polymerisation and/or composition were tested in the presence of various bacteria of the intestinal flora (Bifidobacterium sp., Lactobacillus sp, ...). Our results demonstrate the importance of the arabinose and feruloyl residues harbored by XOs to generate a prebiotic effect. Furthermore, the low DP XOs induced higher prebiotic effect compared to longer DP XOs. All together our results provide deeper information about structure-properties of XOs that represent prebiotics of interest.

Rios Rios K., Dejonghe W., Vanbroekhoven K., Rakotoarivonina H., Rémond C.

Enzymatic production of xylo-oligosaccharides from wheat bran and the impact of their degree of polymerization and substituents on their utilization as carbon source by probiotic bacteria. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.2021. 69(44):13217-13226. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c02888

Contact: Caroline Rémond