Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are naturally occurring functional oligosaccharides. “27% GOS” specifically refers to a product where the effective active ingredient (galacto-oligosaccharides) constitutes 27% of the product’s mass. This is a medium-purity product, with the remaining components being small amounts of glucose, galactose, and other natural sugars. This balances probiotic benefits with cost-effectiveness, distinguishing it from high-purity (e.g., above 50%) GOS, making it more suitable for mass-market foods and daily dietary supplements.
Key Properties:
1. Probiotic Specificity: Not broken down by digestive enzymes in the upper digestive tract, it reaches the large intestine intact, selectively proliferating beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens.
2. Processing Stability: Resistant to gastric acid (pH 2.0-4.0) and high temperatures (remains active even after sterilization at 121℃
for 30 minutes), suitable for most food processing techniques.
3. Excellent Palatability: Approximately 40% sweetness of sucrose, with no bitterness, and does not alter the flavor of the final product.
Application Scenarios:
In the food industry, it is commonly used in yogurt, lactic acid bacteria beverages (to enhance probiotic effects), baked goods (for baking resistance), and infant formula (mimicking natural GOS in breast milk to support infant intestinal development). In the health supplement industry, it can be compounded with probiotics into capsules and powders to improve the survival rate of probiotics in the intestines. In special diets, it can be added to foods for the elderly to improve intestinal motility and alleviate constipation.
