Feruloyl oligosaccharides with antioxidant activities against oxygen radicals

Authors: Wong, Dominic; Batt Throne, Sarah; Orts, William

Submitted to: Advances in Enzyme Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/2026
Publication Date: 3/30/2026
Citation: Wong, D., Batt Throne, S.B., Orts, W.J. 2026. Feruloyl oligosaccharides with antioxidant activities against oxygen radicals. Advances in Enzyme Research. 14(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.4236/aer.2026.141001.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/aer.2026.141001

Interpretive Summary: A physiological condition of oxidative stress is often caused by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may lead to cellular damage, including DNA, protein, and lipid membranes, resulting in the development of many diseases. The production and use of non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDO) has been applied for food applications with health cause-effect linked to the modification of the physiological environment of the intestinal digestive system. Combinatorial enzyme digestion was applied to treat wheat insoluble arabinoxylan to produce bioactive oligosaccharide species that show antioxidative activities against ROS. Its mode of action was assayed and confirmed.

Technical Abstract: Wheat insoluble arabinoxylan was digested to oligosaccharides carrying feruloyl substituents using the combinatorial enzyme technology. The feruloyl oligos (FOS) were isolated by preparative chromatography, and the active fractions pooled, freeze-dried, and demonstrated to possess both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The FOS was shown to possess antioxidant activity on oxygen radicals. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of FOS determined by oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) assay averaged 48.2 'M TE for 0.1% solution. The FOS constituted a product with dual functions on health effects.