Asparagus Fructans as Emerging Prebiotics.
Amel Hamdi1,2, Isabel Viera-Alcaide1, Rafael Guillén-Bejarano1
1Instituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Pablo de Olavide Universitary Campus, Building 46, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Seville, Spain.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 8, 2023
Summary
Asparagus roots are a novel source of fructans with potential prebiotic benefits. These asparagus fructans exhibit unique properties, including antioxidant activity and potential health effects, making them promising for the prebiotics market.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Agricultural By-products
Background:
- Commercial fructans (inulin, oligofructose) are typically sourced from chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, or agave.
- Agricultural by-products like asparagus roots represent underexplored sources of fructans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the composition, physicochemical properties, and potential health effects of fructans from asparagus roots versus commercial sources.
- To evaluate the suitability of asparagus fructans for the prebiotics market.
Main Methods:
- Extraction and analysis of fructans from asparagus roots and commercial sources (chicory, agave).
- Characterization of chemical composition (moisture, sugars, ash, protein, phenolic compounds).
- Physicochemical analysis including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and degree of polymerization (DP) determination.
- In vitro prebiotic activity assays and preliminary health effect assessments.
Main Results:
- Asparagus fructans share similar moisture, simple sugar, and total fructan content with commercial counterparts.
- Asparagus fructans exhibit higher ash, protein, and phenolic compound content, confirmed by FTIR.
- Asparagus fructans have a lower degree of polymerization (DP up to 25) compared to Orafti®GR (DP up to 40) but higher viscosity, likely due to proteins.
- Phenolic compounds in asparagus fructans confer antioxidant activity.
- In vitro prebiotic activity was comparable across all samples.
- Preliminary assays suggest asparagus fructan extract may have health benefits for infertility and diabetes.
Conclusions:
- Asparagus roots are a viable source of fructans with distinct characteristics.
- The presence of proteins and phenolic compounds in asparagus fructans contributes to unique physicochemical properties and bioactivity.
- Asparagus fructans demonstrate significant potential for inclusion in the prebiotics market due to their comparable prebiotic activity and potential health benefits.
Keywords:
C. elegans modelsFTIR analysisantioxidant activityasparagus by-productcircular economycommercial fructansdegree of polymerizationfructan extractphysicochemical characteristicsprebiotic propertiesMore Related Videos
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