Galactooligosaccharides: technology, analysis of the market and commercial prospects

Galactooligosaccharides belong to the class of undigestible carbohydrates that functionally are prebiotics. Galactooligosaccharides can be hardly found in usual food products but in the human milk they are the principle bifidogenous factor. Positive impacts on the human health have been established. The main factors of the activity of the galactooligosaccharides: inhibition of the pathogenic bacteria, formation of useful substances (vitamins of the group B, biotin, nicotinic and folic acids), improvement of calcium and iron absorption, prevention of diarrehoea, constipations, reduction of the arterial pressure and lowering of holesterol concentration in blood, anti cancer activity. In the article the role of galactooligosaccharides in babies growth is considered in detail and necessity to apply the substances as a component of baby milk mixtures. Possible applications are offered and all the proved positive properties are given. Expediency to start industrial production of galactooligosaccharides in Russia in the frames of the complex processing of cheese whey is substantiated.

galactooligosaccharides, prebiotics, bifidobacteria, intestine microflora, functional foods