Browsing by Subject "raffinose family oligosaccharides"

Legume consumption and cultivation is recommended due to several health and environmental benefits. However, legumes naturally lack vitamin B12 and contain non-digestible, fermentable raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) which are found to cause abdominal symptoms. Propionibacterium freudenreichii was earlier found to produce significant B12 contents into plant-based matrices by fermentation. Moreover, many of lactic acid bacteria used in food fermentation are found to produce the enzyme α-galactosidase which degrades the RFO compounds. This study aimed investigating the use of fermentation for a simultaneous B12 production and RFO reduction. The study examined direct fermentation with P. freudenreichii and co-fermentation with starters. In relation to B12, the study examined if B12 content and RFO reduction positively correlated after the fermentation process. The state of RFO breakdown was explored by detecting the RFO levels with high performance anion exchange chromatography combined with a pulse amperometric detector (HPAEC-PAD) after every 24 h during the 72 h of fermentation. Several fermentation schemes showed either efficient or complete RFO degradation and produced active B12 at significant level with some minor differences between them. Generally, direct fermentation led to superior RFO reduction compared to co-fermentation in the studied matrices. The study concluded the inversely proportional relation between RFO reduction and B12 formation when co-fermented with a commercial starter.