Short-chain cello-oligosaccharides: Intensification and scale-up of their enzymatic production and selective growth promotion among probiotic bacteria

Abstract Short-chain cello-oligosaccharides (COS; degree of polymerization, DP≤6) are promising water-soluble dietary fibers. An efficient approach to their bottom-up synthesis is from sucrose and glucose using glycoside phosphorylases. Here, we show intensification and scale up (20 mL; gram scale) of COS production to 93 g/L product and in 82 mol % yield from sucrose (0.5 M). The COS were comprised of DP 3 (33 wt %), DP 4 (34 wt %), DP 5 (24 wt %) and DP 6 (9 wt %) and involved minimum loss (≤10 mol %) to insoluble fractions. After isolation (≥95% purity; ≥90% yield), the COS were examined for growth promotion of probiotic strains. Benchmarked against inulin, trans-galacto-oligosaccharides and cellobiose, COS showed up to 4.1-fold stimulation of cell density for Clostridium butyricum, Lactococcus lactis subsp.lactis, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei and Lb. rhamnosus but were less efficient with Bifidobacterium sp. This study shows the COS as selectively functional carbohydrates with prebiotic potential and demonstrates their efficient enzymatic production