Oligosaccharides

Oligosaccharides (oligo = few, saccharide = sugar) are polymers consisting of 3-9 monosaccharide units. They are not widely occurring or of great importance in foods and food products, except for several galactosylsucroses and fructo-oligosaccharides. The galactosylsucroses occur in vegetables, such as peas, beans and lentils. The fructo-oligosaccharides occur in cereals (e.g. wheat and rye) and in various vegetables (e.g. onions, garlic, asparagus, and artichokes). Fructo-oligosaccharides are an example of non-digestible oligosaccharides.