Glucanas produzidas por microrganismo: potencial prebiótico

Abstract

Glucans are interesting bioactive carbohydrates because of their physiological effects and, recently, studies have considered their prebiotic potential. Foods containing prebiotics have led to significant growth and diversification in the functional food market. Research has been conducted to discover new versatile sources of prebiotics. Microorganisms are considered a valuable source for the development of new products, since a diversity of chemical structures and functionalities was observed in compounds obtained from microorganisms. The objective of the present study was to perform a literature review to demonstrate the prebiotic potential of glucans produced by microorganisms and their potential application in functional foods. 16 studies have been presented that report the prebiotic potential of glucans produced by various species of microorganisms. Therefore, glucans from sources of bacteria, fungi and algae are increasingly being exploited and potentially applied to foods with prebiotic function, so that they contribute to the health of the microbiota and to the growing market for functional foods. Because it is a recent approach, further studies are still needed to reveal more relationships between the health benefits and regulation of the intestinal microbiota induced by the supplementation of glucans produced by microorganisms and confirm their potential application as prebiotics, as well as to discover new microbial sources.