Galacto- oligosaccharides

Product Range

FrieslandCampina Ingredients offers four different products containing Vivinal® GOS, three products are in liquid form (syrup) and one product is in powder form. The composition of the galacto-oligosaccharides in Vivinal® GOS varies in chain length and type of linkage between the monomer units.

* on dry matter, ** on product

What is Vivinal® GOS?

Vivinal® GOS contains galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). GOS are non-digestible carbohydrates, which are almost not broken down by human digestive enzymes. Because of this, they reach the intestine nearly completely intact, where they are then available for the present microflora ^2,3.

In the colon they are fermented by, and stimulate the growth of, Bifidobacteria ^4,5 . This may result in a broad range of positive health effects ^6,7,8.

How is it made?

Vivinal® GOS is produced by enzymatic conversion of lactose present in the whey fraction of cow’s milk by use of β-galactosidases. It consists of galactose chains, starting with glucose, with a degree of polymerization (DP) between 2 and 10.

Vivinal® GOS is the most widely used prebiotic* ingredient for infant nutrition in the world. It contains non-digestible galacto-oligosaccharides. Several studies show that galactooligosaccharides can have following potential benefits for consumers:

Stimulation of growth of bifidogenic bacteria

The galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) present in Vivinal® GOS are non-digestible food components which can be fermented in the large intestine. Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillia are easily able to ferment GOS resulting in stimulation of the growth and/or activity of these bacteria in the colon ⁹.

Vivinal® GOS can play an important role in the colonization of the new-born microbiota by promoting the growth of bifidogenic bacteria ^9-12.

A substantial number of studies with formula-fed infants have shown that infant formula enriched with Vivinal® GOS resulted in a significant increase in Bifidobacteria, in comparison to infants receiving a standard formula without GOS ^10-12.  Furthermore, similar studies investigating the effect of mixtures of oligosaccharides, among which GOS, on the microflora found comparable effects ^13-21.

Contribution to softer and more frequent stools

Stools from formula-fed infants are known to be harder compared to the stools of breastfed infants ³⁵ .

Several studies in infants showed that consumption of infant formula containing GOS (either alone or in a prebiotic mixture) results in softer stools and/or a higher frequency of stools ^{10,12,14,17,21,36-40}.

These results indicate that addition of GOS to infant nutrition may contribute to healthy digestive function in infants.

Contribution to natural defences

Infants are born with an immature immune system, which is biased towards a Th2 response. This increases the risk of an infant developing an allergic disease, such as atopic dermatitis or a food allergy. There are indications that the composition of the intestinal microflora plays an important role in postnatal immune system development ²³.

Several studies have evaluated the effect of oligosaccharides, among which GOS, on the incidence of infections in infants. These studies found that the overall number of eczema, infections, respiratory tract infections, intestinal infections, fever episodes and antibiotic prescription were significantly lower in the group fed oligosaccharides ^24-28.

In infants at high risk of developing atopic disease, supplementation of infant formula with GOS and lcFOS during the first six months of life was shown to reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis ²⁷. This effect persisted at two-year and five-year follow up ^25,26. These results suggest that early life intervention with oligosaccharides has a prolonged protective effect against development of allergic disease.

Two studies in infants have shown that supplementation of infant formula with GOS and lcFOS increases faecal sIgA to levels that are comparable to those found in breast fed infants ^{34, 46}. Next to that, in vitro studies have shown that GOS can reduce pathogen adhesion in the gut ^29,30. Two studies with infants showed a reduction of infections gastrointestinal and respiratory when their infant formula was supplemented with GOS and lcFOS ^{24, 25}.

Vivinal® GOS can act via several routes:

• Indirectly; by inhibiting the binding and/or survival of Escherichia Coli, Clostridia and Cholera toxin in the body, thereby reducing the risk of infections ^{29, 30}
• Indirectly; by the production of antimicrobial substances (products of GOS fermentation, like SCFA) which reduce the proliferation of pathogens ^{31, 32}
• Directly through interaction with immune cells. For example, commercial available oligosaccharides, among which GOS, have been shown to increase the number of NK cells, to increase the levels of serum IgA, and to reduce the plasma levels of IgE and IgG ^{28, 33, 34}.

Improvement of mineral absorption

Adequate bioavailability of minerals is critical for bone development. The mineral calcium (Ca) for example is important for bone mineralization ⁴¹. It is known that 75% of the calcium in human milk is absorbed by infants, compared to 20% of the calcium in milk-based infant formulas ⁴¹.

GOS has been shown to increase the calcium absorption in both animals and humans ^42-45. There are further indications that Vivinal® GOS can also improve the absorption of magnesium ⁴².

A clinical trial investigating the effect of Vivinal® GOS on calcium absorption in children aged 9-13 years, found that consumption of 5 and 10 g GOS per day during 3 weeks increased calcium absorption ³⁵.

Vivinal® GOS from FrieslandCampina Ingredients has more than 20 years of safe use and is trusted by the major producers of infant nutrition. Vivinal® GOS is an ideal oligosaccharide ingredient for use in the production of infant formula (IF), follow-on formula (FOF) and growing-up milk (GUM).We are proud that Vivinal® GOS is the most widely used oligosaccharide ingredient in infant nutrition throughout the world. Since its introduction in 2000, more than 160 million babies worldwide have been nourished with infant formula containing Vivinal® GOS.

Watch our video for more information.

* The scientific definition of a prebiotic is: nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon

Source: Gibson, G.R. and Roberfroid, M.B., “Dietary Modulation of  the Human Colonic Microbiota: Introducing the Concept of  Prebiotics,” Journal of Nutrition, 125: 1401-1412 (1995).

Whether you can use the claim prebiotic on your products depends on local legislation.

References

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21. Boehm G, Lidestri M, et al. Supplementation of a bovine milk formula with an oligosaccharide mixture increases counts of faecal bifidobacteria in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2002;86(3):F178-F181.
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27. Moro G, Arslanoglu S, et al. A mixture of prebiotic oligosaccharides reduces the incidence of atopic dermatitis during the first six months of age. Arch Dis Child 2006;91(10):814-819.
28. Van Hoffen E, Ruiter B, et al. A specific mixture of short-chain galactooligosaccharides and longchain fructooligosaccharides induces a beneficial immunoglobulin profile in infants at high risk for allergy. Allergy 2009;64:484-487.
29. Shoaf K, Mulvey GL, et al. Prebiotic galactooligosaccharides reduce adherence of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to tissue culture cells. Infect Immun 2006;74(12):6920-6928.
30. Sinclair HR, de SJ, et al. Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) inhibit Vibrio cholerae toxin binding to its GM1 receptor. J Agric Food Chem 2009;57(8):3113-3119.
31. Macfarlane GT, Steed H, et al. Bacterial metabolism and health-related effects of galacto-oligosaccharides and other prebiotics. J Appl Microbiol 2008;104(2):305-344.
32. Vos AP, M’Rabet L, et al. Immune-modulatory effects and potential working mechanisms of orally applied nondigestible carbohydrates. Crit Rev Immunol 2007;27(2):97-140.
33. Gopalakrishnan A, Clinthorne JF, et al. Supplementation with Galacto-Oligosaccharides increases the percentage of NK cells and reduces colitis severity in Smad3-deficient mice. J Nutr 2012;142:1336-1342.
34. Bakker-Zierikzee AM, Tol EA.Faecal SigA secretion in infants fed on pre-or probiotic infant formula. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2006:17(2): 134-40.
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36. Ashley C, Johnston WH, et al. Growth and tolerance of infants fed formula supplemented with polydextrose (PDX) and/ or galactooligosaccharides (GOS): double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Nutr J 2012;11(38).
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38. Ribeiro T, Costa-Ribeiro H, et al. Stool pattern changes in toddlers consuming a follow-on formula supplemented with polydextrose and galactooligosaccharides. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2012;54(2):288-290.
39. Ziegler E, Vanderhoof JA, et al. Term infants fed formula supplemented with selected blend of prebiotics grow normally and have soft stools similar to those reported for breast-fed infants. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 2007; 44:359-364.
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41. Baker SS, Cochran WJ, et al. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Nutrition. Calcium requirements of infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics 1999;104(5 Pt 1):1152-1157.
42. Weaver CM, Martin BR, et al. Galactooligosaccharides improve mineral absorption and bone properties in growing rats through gut fermentation. J Agric Food Chem 2011;59(12):6501-6510 .
43. Whisner CM, Martin BR, et al. Galacto-oligosaccharides increase calcium absorption and gut bifidobacteria in young girls: a double-blind cross-over trial. Br J Nutr 2013;110(7):1292-1303.
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46. Scholtens PA, Alliet P, et al. Fecal secretory immunoglobulin A is increased in healthy infants who receive a formula with short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides and long-chain fructooligosaccharides.J Nutr 2008;138(6):1141-1147.
47. Ladirat SE, Schoterman MHC, et al. Exploring the effects of galacto-oligosaccharides on the gut microbiota of healthy adults receiving amoxicillin treatment. Br J Nutr 2014; 112(4):536-46.
48. Tamai S, Nakamura Y, et al. Effect of galactooligosaccharides intake on human fecal flora and metabolites. Oyo Toshitsu Kagaku 1994;41(3):343-348.
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