The Potential of Xylooligosaccharides as Prebiotics and Their Sustainable Production from Agro-Industrial by-Products

Abstract

In recent years, concerns about a good-quality diet have increased. Food supplements such as prebiotics have great nutritional and health benefits. Within the diverse range of prebiotics, xylooligosaccharides (XOs) show high potential, presenting exceptional properties for the prevention of systemic disorders. XOs can be found in different natural sources; however, their production is limited. Lignocellulosic biomasses present a high potential as a source of raw material for the production of XOs, making the agro-industrial by-products the perfect candidates for production on an industrial scale. However, these biomasses require the application of physicochemical pretreatments to obtain XOs. Different pretreatment methodologies are discussed in terms of increasing the production of XOs and limiting the coproduction of toxic compounds. The advance in new technologies for XOs production could decrease their real cost (USD 25–50/kg) on an industrial scale and would increase the volume of market transactions in the prebiotic sector (USD 4.5 billion). In this sense, new patents and innovations are being strategically developed to expand the use of XOs as daily prebiotics.

Xylooligosaccharides: A Bibliometric Analysis and Current Advances of This Bioactive Food Chemical as a Potential Product in Biorefineries’ Portfolios

“…XOS have a high potential to be applied for human nutrition due to their physicochemical properties such as low viscosity, high water solubility, tolerance to high temperature, and acidic pH [ 2 ]. Due to these characteristics, XOS can pass through gastrointestinal enzymes and gastric acid, reaching the intestine and acting on the intestinal flora [ 13 ]. They can be used as dietary sweeteners, and as compounds in the formulation of drugs and food ingredients [ 14 ].…”

“…They can be used as dietary sweeteners, and as compounds in the formulation of drugs and food ingredients [ 14 ]. They have probiotic and organoleptic properties, increasing the digestion and absorption of nutrients, helping in calcium absorption and lipid metabolism, and acting as emulsifying agents, stabilizers, and fat substitutes [ 3 , 4 , 13 , 15 ]. According to Tang et al [ 16 ], when metabolized by probiotic bacteria, XOS increase the production of small chain fatty acids, which maintain the integrity of the gastrointestinal protection once it regulates cecal cell proliferation and apoptosis.…”

“…In Table 1 , it is possible to see some works using different xylanases to produce XOS from different biomasses through a two-stage production strategy. Due to the complexity of lignocellulosic biomass, some accessory enzymes can be used together with xylanases to increase hydrolysis conversion, such as arabinofuranosidases and feruloyl esterases [ 13 ].…”

“…For comparison and visualization purposes, Table 4 and Table 5 summarize the economic and environmental performance of the XOS studies found in the literature. However, besides the great potential of XOS stated by all the economic and environmental analyses, some key challenges still need to be overcome to allow production in large-scale biorefineries, such as formulation, stability, flavor and taste, and consumer acceptance [ 13 ].…”

The Prebiotic Diet: Other Dietary Molecules Implicated in Gut Microbiota Health

“…Anyway, some challenges remain to be resolved in producing XOs functional prebiotics; we still need to consolidate knowledge on their mechanism of action, their useful and non-toxic doses, and their stability over time [7]. With a similar scope, the paper of Bonifacio-Lopes et al [8] investigated the prebiotic activity of brewer's spent grain, a food by-product from the brewing industry. The authors investigated the probiotic activity of this matrix on human fecal microbiota; growth of Lactobacillus spp.…”