Methods Applied to the Purification of Prebiotic Fructo-Oligosaccharides

Several techniques have been applied for prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) purification from complex solutions. FOS synthesis with microbial enzymatic approaches results in mixtures containing a high content of salts and glucose, some fructose, and unreacted sucrose. Here we describe selected experimental methods that have been employed to increase the purity of FOS. These include downstream processes using activated charcoal, and ion exchange resins, along with microbial treatments that enable the removal of non-oligosaccharides from the fermentative broth. Our goal is to provide the reader with practical guidelines on applying these approaches to increase the value of prebiotic mixtures.