Digestibility, Absorptivity and Physiological Effects of Cellooligosaccharides in Human and Rat.

Abstract

Cellooligosaccharides were produced from cellulose with a membrane bioreactor and their physiological functions were studied. Results showed that although cellooligosaccharides were resistant to human salivary amylase, artificial gastric juice and porcine pancreatic amylase, they were partly hydrolysed by rat intestinal mucosa cell homogenates. Blood glucose level after cellooligosaccharide loading was gradually increased in rats. However, no increase in the blood glucose level was observed in humans. Insulin secretion was not stimulated by cellooligosaccharides in rats or man. Excretion into faeces after a single ingestion of cellooligosaccharides was not detected in rats. Rats were kept for 4 weeks on a high-sucrose diet or a cellooligosaccharide-supplemented high-sucrose diet. At week 4, body fat, serum fructosamine, total cholesterol and triglycerides were higher in the high-sucrose-fed rats than in the cellooligosaccharide-fed rats. These results suggest that cellooligosaccharides are indigestible saccharides, and that they would be expected to have beneficial effects on carbohydrate metabolism and prevention of diabetes and obesity.