Nondigestible oligosaccharides

Dietary carbohydrates range in molecular size from simple sugars to complex polymers with a degree of polymerization (DP) of up to 100,000 or more. Ol igosaccharides are generally;defined as carbohydrates from 2 to 20 monomeri c units long. Oligosaccharides have been dietary staples since antiquity bu t have received much less attention than other carbohydrates such as simple sugars or dietary fiber. Recently, interest in oligosaccharides has increa sed not only because of properties that include sweetening ability and fat replacement, but also because of resistance to digestion in the upper gastr ointestinal tract and fermentation in the large bowel. Thus, some oligosacc harides have functional effects similar to soluble dietary fiber such as en hancement of a healthy gastrointestinal tract, improvement of glucose contr ol, and modulation of the metabolism of triglycerides. These oligosaccharid es are the nondigestible oligosaccharides. These compounds are easily incor porated into processed foods and hold much promise as functional ingredient s in nutraceutical products.