Oral and intestinal digestion of oligosaccharides as potential sweeteners: A systematic evaluation

The utilisation of oligosaccharides by oral microorganisms and intestinal enzymes are important factors in determining their effectiveness as alternative sweeteners. In this study, classes of naturally occurring sugars were assessed using in vitro models for oral and intestinal digestibility, in order to test the influence of chemical structure on functional properties. Amongst the classes of sucrose isomers, α-glucobioses, β-glucobioses and sucrose-based oligosaccharides, structures were identified that were not utilised by the common oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans, and would therefore contribute to the non-cariogenic potential of a sweetener. Analysis of the rate and products of digestion by a rat glucosidase mixture was used to determine the relative intestinal digestibility. The results showed that oligosaccharides containing a (1 → 6)-β-Glc group, including gentiobiose and gentiobiitol, together with melezitose, a sucrose-derived oligosaccharide containing a α-Glc-(1 → 3)-Fru moiety were resistant to digestion by both S. mutans and mammalian intestinal enzymes, highlighting their potential as dietary sugar substitutes.