• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.580-587
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• 2010

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary water-soluble carbohydrate extract from Renga renga lily (Arthropodium cirratum) and a commercial product, $Frutafit^{{\circledR}}$ (both fructans) on the performance, organ weights, ileal digestibility and gut morphology of male Cobb broiler chickens. There were six treatment groups: a negative control with no supplements, a positive control supplemented with 45 ppm Zn-bacitracin, and four test diets each supplemented with Renga renga lily extract or Frutafit at 5 or 10 g/kg diet. Supplementation with low levels of Renga renga lily extract and Frutafit in the diet did not affect productive parameters, whereas the inclusion of a high level of Frutafit had a negative effect on BWG and FI compared with birds fed the negative control diet. The addition of an antibiotic to the diet significantly improved (p<0.05) the BWG and FCR of broilers. Apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter, starch, protein and fat was not affected (p>0.05) by supplementation with both levels of lily extract and the low level of Frutafit. The apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter, protein and fat was decreased (p<0.05) by the high level of Frutafit. The apparent metabolisable energy (AME) of the diets fed the high level of Frutafit was approximately 0.2 MJ/kg DM lower than that of the negative control group. The addition of Zn-bacitracin increased (p<0.05) the apparent ileal digestibility of fat. The relative weight of the liver was higher (p<0.05) in broilers supplemented with the high level of Frutafit than for negative control birds at 14 and 35 d of age. Feeding Renga renga lily extract or Frutafit had no effect on the gut morphology of birds on d 14 and 35. It can be concluded that dietary inclusion of fructans from the two sources used in this study affected broiler performance differently and in a dose-dependent manner.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.587-595
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• 2022

Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis, Agave fructans, and symbiotic of both encapsulated on growth performance, feed efficiency, blood parameters, and immune status in broiler chickens, and to compare these with diets including antibiotic growth promoters and without additives. Methods: A comparative experimental study was carried out with 135 male Ross 308 broiler chickens. Each trial was divided into 5 equal groups. Control group (CON) received a standard diet without growth promoter; GPA, a standard diet with colistin sulfate and zinc bacitracin (0.25 g/kg of feed); PRE, a standard diet with 1% Agave fructans; PRO, a standard diet with Bifidobacterium animalis (11.14±0.70 log CFU/g); SYM, a standard diet with B. animalis and Agave fructans. Results: A significant decrease in food consumption was found for the GPA, PRE, and SYM, compared to the CON group. The results show a better feed conversion index in PRE and GPA with respect to the CON group with the highest conversion index. Interestingly, the weight of the gastrointestinal tract shows a statistically significant difference between GPA and PRE groups. Moreover, the length of the gastrointestinal tract of the GPA group was less than the PRE group. In the total leukocyte count, there was a statistically significant increase in the GPA group compared to the CON, PRE, and PRO groups, and the heterophiles-lymphocytes index was lower in PRO. Regarding the cytokines, interleukin 10 (IL-10) decreased in PRO compared to CON and PRE, while IL-1β increased in the SYM group. Conclusion: Alternative treatments were shown to achieve similar productive results as growth-promoting antibiotics and showed improvement over diet without additives; however, they have immunomodulatory properties and improved the development of the gastrointestinal tract compared to the treatment of growth-promoting antibiotics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1373-1381
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• 2022

Fructan is a polysaccharide composed of fructose and can be classified into several types, such as inulin, levan, and fructo-oligosaccharides, based on their linkage patterns and degree of polymerization. Owing to its structural and functional diversity, fructan has been used in various fields including prebiotics, foods and beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications. With increasing interest in fructans, efficient and straightforward production methods have been explored. Since the 1990s, yeast cells have been employed as producers of recombinant enzymes for enzymatic conversion of fructans including fructosyltransferases derived from various microbes and plants. More recently, yeast cell factories are highlighted as efficient workhorses for fructan production by direct fermentation. In this review, recent advances and strategies for fructan biosynthesis by yeast cell factories are discussed.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.456-464
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• 1996

Fructans are the major vegetative storage carbohydrate in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.). The depolymerization of fructans occurs by the sequential removal of terminal fructosyl residues by a specific fructan exohydrolase(FEH). The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize this enzyme in wheat. From stems and sheaths of field-grown wheat(cv. Clark), FEH was purified 356-fold using salt precipitation and a series of chromatographic procedures including size exclusion, anion exchange, and affinity chromatography. FEH had a molecular weight of 63.7 kD and an optima at pH 5.5 and 3$0^{\circ}C$. The $K_{m}$s for $\beta$(2 longrightarrow1) linked oligofructans varied, from 10 to 37mM, with the lowest $K_{m}$ for tetrasaccharide. The $V_{max}$ increased as degree of polymerization (DP) increased. Wheat FEH hydrolyzed only, $\beta$(2 longrightarrow1) linked fructans but not, $\beta$(2 longrightarrow6) linked timothy fructan or sucrose. The role of this FEH in fructan metabolism in wheat is discussed.sed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.213-218
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• 1999

Fructans are polyfructose molecules that function as nonstructural storage carbohydrates in several plants. In addition, it has been suggested that, due to their solubility, they can play an important role in helping plants survive periods of osmotic stress. In order to study the effect of levan synthesis on plant growth, the coding region of the levansucrase gene, which was isolated from Zymomonas mobilis, was introduced into tobacco plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The presence of the levansucrase gene in transgenic plants was verified by genomic DNA gel blot analysis. RNA gel blot and immunoblot analyses showed an accumulation of the corresponding transcript and protein product of the bacterial levansucrase gene in transgenic plants. Furthermore, a thin layer chromatography analysis revealed that fructans were synthesized and deposited in transgenic tobacco plants. When $T_1$ seeds were germinated and grown under polyethylene glycol-mediated drought stress or cold stress, the transgenic seedlings displayed a substantially higher level of growth than that of untransformed plants. These results suggest that fructans may playa significant role in the tolerance of plants under osmotic stress.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.122-134
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• 2024

Levan is a functional fructooligosaccharide that belongs to the class of fructans and displays a range of physiological and dietary benefits. Levansucrase, classified as a fructosyltransferase, catalyzes the synthesis of levan fructans through the transfer of d-fructosyl residues from sucrose. Recombinant levansucrase exhibits a significantly high level of expression and activity in E. coli, however, its industrial applicability is limited due to its relatively poor thermal stability. In this study, we generated six single mutants by targeting either the high flexibility regions (242-250) or the 382Glu residue within the -TEAP- motif, and further developed two double mutants featuring concurrent mutations encompassing both regions. We expressed multiple levansucrase mutant proteins in E. coli DH5α using site-directed mutagenesis and measured the enzymatic activity and thermal stability of each mutant by levan formation reactions. The E246Y mutant displayed half-time 5.02-fold and 1.89-fold higher at 55℃ and 56℃, respectively, when compared to the WT, whereas the E382L mutant exhibited a 1.06-fold enhancement in half-time at 55℃. Furthermore, E246Y/E382L exhibited 1.95-fold and 1.86-fold higher thermal stability at 55℃ and 56℃, respectively. These findings suggest the potential for the developed thermally stable levansucrases to be applied in industrial settings, highlighting the effectiveness of our targeted mutagenesis approach.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1188-1194
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate effects of fructans (chicory inulin, fructooligosaccharide and chicory inulin oligosaccharide) on blood glucose, activities of disaccharidases in small bowel and kidneys, and splenocyte proliferation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Sixty ICR male mice were divided into one normal group and four diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced by injecting streptozotocin after 2 weeks of experimental diets feeding. Experimental diets based on AIN93G diet were control diet, 6$ \%$ fructooligosaccharide (FOS) diet, 6$\%$ chicory inulin oligosaccharide (CIOS) diet, 6$\%$ chicory inulin (Cl) diet, and given for 25 days after streptozotocin injection. Plasma glucose was lower in Diabetic-Cl group as compared to Diabetic-control group. Plasma insulin level was not different among diabetic groups. Specific activities of jejunal maltase and sucrase in diabetic groups were about double as that of Normal group. Jejunal maltase activity and plasma glucose were positively correlated (r=0.643). However, specific activity of renal maltase in diabetic groups was not significantly different as compared to Normal group. Stimulation index of splenocyte proliferation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was significantly increased in Diabetic-CIOS as compared to Diabetic-control. Stimulation index of splenocyte proliferation by Concanavalin A (ConA) tended to be higher in Diabetic-CIOS group. Concentrations of interleukin-2 and interferon- $\gamma$ secreted from splenocytes induced by ConA were not significantly different among all groups. In conclusion, fructans may be effective for lowering plasma glucose, possibly by lowering disaccharidase activity and for increasing immune responses in diabetic con-ditions, where their effects can be different depending on degree of polymerization.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1606-1610
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• 2002

The dynamics of fermentation were studied with Italian ryegrass ensiled in the laboratory silos. The silos were kept in the room set at 25$^{\circ}C$, and then were opened on 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after ensiling, respectively. The samples were taken from three silos at each sampling time for chemical analyses. Mono-and disaccharides composition was determined for glucose, fructose and sucrose by high performance liquid chromatography. The Italian ryegrass silage succeeded to achieve lactate type fermentation; high values of lactic acid (85.83 g/kg) and lactic acid/acetic acid at the end of ensiling (14 day), low values of pH (3.74), acetic acid (5.38 g/kg), ethanol (19.20 g/kg) and $NH_3-N/Total\;N$ (75.84 g/kg), no or only small amounts of butyric acid, valeric acid and propionic acid. The fermentation dynamics showed a fast and large pH decrease caused by a fast and large production of lactic acid during the first 5 days. Mono-and disaccharides composition largely decreased within initial 0.5 day (12 h) of ensiling. Sucrose disappeared rapidly within initial 0.5 day of ensiling, and fructose and glucose contents showed an initial rise during ensiling, and then decreased gradually. These indicated that the enzymes of plant tissue were active within 2 days of ensiling, which caused the initial rise in fructose and glucose from the hydrolysis of sucrose and fructans. After 5 days of ensilage, glucose was consumed completely, suggesting that glucose was the first fermentation substrate. After 2 days of ensiling, sum amounts of lactic acid and remaining mono-and disaccharides proved to be larger than the quantity of mono-and disaccharides in the initial grass. From the facts mentioned above, it was suggested that considerable amounts of lactic acid were produced from some other substrate such as fructans than initial mono-and disaccharides.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.196-200
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• 2004

There are increasing evidences that prebiotics can modulate various properties of the immune system. This study was conducted to investigate effects of three kinds of fructans (chicory inulin, chicory inulin oligosaccharide and fructooligosaccharide) and a glucose oligomer(isomaltooligosaccharide) in large bowel mass and innnunoglobulin A (IgA) in rats. Forty five Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing about 1909 were randomly sorted to receive one of the five treatments, which were control diet, control diet+6% isomaltooligosaccharide (IMOS), control diet+6% fructooligosaccharide (FOS), control diet+6% chicory inulin oligosaccharide (CIOS), or control diet + 6% chicory inulin (CI). Rats were pair-fed and received the experimental diets for 5 weeks. Cecal and colonic wall weights were significantly higher in fructan (FOS, CIOS, CI)-fed groups compared with control and IMOS groups, and the length of colon was elevated in FOS and CIOS groups compared with control group. Fecal concentrations of acetic acid and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were significantly elevated in fructan-fed groups. Plasma and cecal levels and fecal excretion of immunogiobulin A (IgA) in rats were not significantly different among groups. However, fructooligosaccharide tended to increase IgA level in cecum. Cecal IgA level was significantly negatively correlated with pH of cecal content (r=-0.337), positively correlated with acetic acid level (r=0.310). Fecal IgA excretion was positively correlated with total SCFA (r=0.311) and propionic acid (r=0.400) level in feces. These results indicate that fructooligosaccharide and chicory inulin oligosaccharide exerted trophic effects in large bowel wall, increased production of SCFAs and decreased pH, which were conditions positively associated with cecal and colonic IgA secretion.