Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) have great prebiotic potential and can be incorporated into many food products. XOS seem to exert their nutritional benefits in various animal species, which by definition have an intestinal tract populated by a complex, bacterial intestinal ecosystem. The production of XOS on an industrial scale is carried out from lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) rich in xylan by chemical and enzymatic methods and the latter is preferred in the food industry because of the lack of undesirable side reactions and products. The information available does not provide an exact explanation about the bioactive effects of XOS. Their fermentation results in the acidification of the colonic contents and the formation of short chain fatty acids that serve as fuels in different tissues and may play a role in the regulation of cellular processes. Only data from small trials are currently available to support use of XOS in the treatment of different clinical scenarios. Numerous questions about the molecular mechanisms of action or clinical indications of XOS and other prebiotics remain unanswered. This article presents XOS as an emerging prebiotic with more emphasis on its microbial production, structural characterization, and bioactive properties.

Owing to its high content of omega‐6/omega‐3 fatty acids and bioactive minor components with antioxidant activities, hemp seed oil is now recognized for its health benefits by a large number of consumers. This paper primarily discusses the profile of minor components in hemp seed oil and their beneficial and adverse effects on oil quality. While tocopherols, polyphenols and phytosterols prevent oxidative deterioration of hemp seed oil, the high amount of chlorophyll can be detrimental to oil quality.

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Valuable phenolic antioxidants are lost during oil refining, but evaluation of their occurrence in refining byproducts is lacking. Rapeseed and canola oil are both rich sources of sinapic acid derivatives and tocopherols. The retention and loss of sinapic acid derivatives and tocopherols in commercially produced expeller-pressed canola oils subjected to various refining steps and the respective byproducts were investigated. Loss of canolol (3) and tocopherols were observed during bleaching (84.9%) and deodorization (37.6%), respectively. Sinapic acid (2) (42.9 μg/g), sinapine (1) (199 μg/g), and canolol (344 μg/g) were found in the refining byproducts, namely, soap stock, spent bleaching clay, and wash water, for the first time. Tocopherols (3.75 mg/g) and other nonidentified phenolic compounds (2.7 mg sinapic acid equivalent/g) were found in deodistillates, a byproduct of deodorization. DPPH radical scavenging confirmed the antioxidant potential of the byproducts. This study confirms the value-added potential of byproducts of refining as sources of endogenous phenolics.