Preparation and potential applications of alginate oligosaccharides

Abstract

Alginate, a linear polymer consisting of β-D-mannuronic acid (M) and α-L-guluronic acid (G) with 1,4-glycosidic linkages and comprising 40% of the dry weight of algae, possesses various applications in the food and nutraceutical industries. However, the potential applications of alginate are restricted in some fields because of its low water solubility and high solution viscosity. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) on the other hand, have low molecular weight which result in better water solubility. Hence, it becomes a more popular target to be researched in recent years for its use in foods and nutraceuticals. AOS can be obtained by multiple degradation methods, including enzymatic degradation, from alginate or alginate-derived poly G and poly M. AOS have unique bioactivity and can bring human health benefits, which render them potentials to be developed/incorporated into functional food. This review comprehensively covers methods of the preparation and analysis of AOS, and discussed the potential applications of AOS in foods and nutraceuticals.

Keywords:

• Alginate
• health effects
• nutraceutical
• oligosaccharides
• preparation

Disclosure statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32172193), the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFD0901106), New Zealand National Science Challenge High Value Nutrition Fund (HVN 3719491-1905), Beyond Capital MedTech Management Limited (grant AUT-12732 & 12733) and Royal Society of New Zealand Catalyst Seeding Fund (21-AUT-005-CSG).