Homooligosaccharide

Homooligosaccharide is an oligosaccharide composed of a single type of monosaccharide residue. In these molecules, all sugar units are identical and linked by glycosidic bonds, making them distinct from heterooligosaccharides that contain more than one monosaccharide type. The term can apply to a range of short, uniform sugar chains.

Common examples include cellooligosaccharides, which are short chains of glucose units linked by β-1,4 bonds; mannooligosaccharides, consisting of mannose units; xylooligosaccharides, made from xylose units; and arabinooligosaccharides, composed of arabinose units. The degree of polymerization (DP) for homooligosaccharides is typically described as two to about ten, though longer sequences may be encountered depending on the source and definition.

Sources and production methods: Homooligosaccharides arise as partial hydrolysis products of larger polysaccharides such as cellulose, starch-derived glucans, xylan, or arabinan. Industrial preparation commonly uses enzymatic hydrolysis with specific glycoside hydrolases or transglycosylases to limit chain length. Purification is usually achieved by chromatographic techniques, yielding mixtures with defined DP distributions or more homogeneous fractions.

Applications and research: They are studied as functional ingredients in foods and pharmaceuticals, with potential roles in texture modification and biocompatibility. Some research explores bioactive properties, including possible prebiotic effects, antioxidant activity, or other health-related effects, but results vary by monosaccharide type and DP.

Analytical characterization: Characterization typically involves chromatography (for DP distribution), mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance to determine linkage patterns and chain length.