Digestibility of the hydrogenated derivative of an isomaltooligosaccharidemixture by rats

The digestibility of the hydrogenated derivative of an isomaltooligosacchar ide mixture (IMO-H) was investigated. In an in vitro experiment, the digest ibility of IMO-H was examined by models of the digestive system. IMO-H was resistant to two types of alpha-amylase and to artificial gastric juice, En zymes in the rat small intestinal mucosa hydrolyzed tri-, tetra- and higher saccharide alcohols to disaccharide alcohol, removing successive glucose u nits from the non-reducing ends of the chains. The hydrolysis ratio for IMO -H was intermediate between the values for maltose and maltitol. In an in v ivo study, growing rats were fed on an experimental diet containing IMO-H, maltitol, or hydrogenated palatinose in the range from 5% to 20%. The growt h parameters of the rats fed on the test sugar show that the availability o f IMO-H was about 1.2 to 1.25 times that of maltitol or hydrogenated palati nose.