Carbohydrates mixture

Abstract

A carbohydrate mixture for dietetic foods and pharmaceuticals is provided. The carbohydrate mixture comprises two different, substantially soluble carbohydrate components A and B, which remain undigested in the gastrointestinal tract and enter the large intestine without being resorbed. Carbohydrate component A may comprise at least one monosaccharide or of at least one oligosaccharide (disaccharide to hexasaccharide) or a mixture of two or more of these saccharides. Carbohydrate component B may comprise a polysaccharide (from heptasaccharide onwards) or a mixture of two or more polysaccharides. Carbohydrate component A=5 to 95 wt-% and carbohydrate component B=5 to 95 wt-% of the sum of the carbohydrate components A+B (=100 wt-%), and at least 80 wt-% of the carbohydrates/saccharides of both carbohydrate components have a prebiotic effect. The carbohydrate mixtures have not only a nutritive effect but they also stimulate health-promoting microorganisms present in the natural flora of the large intestine.

Claims

1. A composition, comprising: (a) oligosaccharides having 2 to 6 monosaccharide units, at least 60 weight percent of which oligosaccharides are galacto-oligosaccharides, (b) polysaccharides having 7 to 100 monosaccharide units, at least 60 weight percent of which polysaccharides are fructo-polysaccharides, wherein both the oligosaccharides (a) and the polysaccharides (b) are soluble saccharides and remain undigested in the gastrointestinal tract and enter the large intestine without being resorbed, and wherein the weight ratio between (a) and (b) is from 80-95 (a) to 5-20 (b), based on the sum of (a) and (b), and (c) lactose, maltodextrin and/or starch.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein at least 80 weight percent of the carbohydrates of (a) and (b) promote lactic acid bacteria and/or are bifidogenic.

3. The composition according to claim 1, comprising 85 to 95 weight percent oligosaccharides (a) and 5 to 15 weight percent polysaccharides (b) based on the sum of (a) and (b).

4. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the oligosaccharides and polysaccharides do not have any glucose units linked at the α 1-4 and/or α 1-6 position.

5. The composition according to claim 1, wherein 80 to 100 weight percent of the oligosaccharides are galacto-oligosaccharides and 80 to 100 weight percent of the polysaccharides are fructo-polysaccharides.

6. The composition according to claim 1, further comprising soluble and digestible carbohydrates.

7. The composition according to claim 1, which is an infant formula.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

(1) Composition

(2) 90% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(3) transgalacto-oligosaccharides, e.g. Elixor® (Company Borculo, enzymatic from lactose by means of β-galactosidase)

(4) 10% B=inulin

(5) Inulin, e.g. Raftiline® HP (Company Orafti, extraction from chicories, physical separation of the low-molecular oligosaccharides)

(6) For the preparation of the transgalacto-oligosaccharides (Elixor®), lactose is treated with β-galactosidase. The lactose is thereby catalytically transformed in galacto-oligosaccharides, whereby a plurality of galacto-oligosaccharides are formed having varying chain lengths. Primarily, disaccharides and trisaccharides comprising 3 or 2 galactose units are thereby obtained.

EXAMPLE 2

(7) Composition

(8) 60% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(9) transgalacto-oligosaccharides (enzymatic from lactose by means of β-galactosidase)

(10) 40% B=inulin

(11) Inulin, e.g. Raftiline® HP (Company Orafti, extraction from chicories, physical separation of the low-molecular oligosaccharides)

EXAMPLE 3

(12) Composition

(13) 90% A=galacturon acid oligosaccharides

(14) enzymatic from pectin

(15) 10% B=xylose polysaccharides

(16) enzymatic from xylan (vegetable hemicellulose)

EXAMPLE 4

(17) Composition

(18) 90% A=fructo-oligosaccharides

(19) enzymatic from inulin by means of endo-inulinase

(20) 10% B=cellulose polysaccharides

(21) enzymatic from cellulose by means of cellulase

EXAMPLE 5

(22) Composition

(23) 90% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(24) 10% B=arabinans

(25) enzymatic from vegetable hemicellulose

EXAMPLE 6

(26) Composition

(27) 55% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(28) 45% B=fructo-polysaccharides

EXAMPLE 7

(29) Composition

(30) 85% A=galacturon acid oligosaccharides

(31) 15% B=fructo-polysaccharides

EXAMPLE 8

(32) Composition

(33) 90% A=gluco-oligosaccharides

(34) enzymatic by means of glucosyltransferase

(35) 10% B=fructo-polysaccharides

EXAMPLE 9

(36) Composition

(37) 90% A=fuco-oligosaccharides

(38) enzymatic from algae fucoidan

(39) 10% B=fructo-polysaccharides

EXAMPLE 10

(40) Composition

(41) 90% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(42) 10% B=fuco-polysaccharides

(43) enzymatic from algae fucoidan

EXAMPLE 11

(44) Composition

(45) 55% A=galacto-oligosaccharides

(46) α-galacto-oligosaccharides from soya

(47) 45% B=fucto-polysaccharides (inulin)

EXAMPLE 12

(48) Composition

(49) 80% A=transgalacto-oligosaccharaides

(50) 10% A=galacturon acid oligosaccharides

(51) 10% B=inulin