Indigestible oligosaccharide

Campbell, J.M., Fahey, G.C., and Wolf, B.W., Selected indigestible oligosaccharides affect large bowel mass, cecal and faecal short-chain fatty acids, pH and microflora in rats, J. Nutr., 127, 130-136, 1997. 

After the action of salivary and pancreatic a-amylases on dietary starch and glycogen, the carbohydrate content of the small intestine consists of newly formed maltose ingested monosaccharides dietary disaccharides, such as lactose, sucrose, maltose, and trehalose oligosaccharides, such as dextrins and maltotriose and indigestible oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, such as cellulose, agar, and other oligosaccharide dietary fibers. 

Nowadays there is scientific evidence that, besides plant polysaccharides and lignin, other indigestible compounds such as resistant starch, oligosaccharides, Maillard compounds, and phytochemicals—mainly polyphenols—can be considered DF constituents (Saura-Calixto and others 2000). Of these substances, resistant starch is a major constituent in cereals, whereas phytochemicals are the most important such substance in fruits and vegetables. Here, we address mainly polyphenols and carotenoids associated with DF in fruits and vegetables because of the important biological properties derived from them. 

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